HORIZON ZOO ENRICHMENT SAFETY CHECKLIST
(ANIMALS, ZOO VISITORS & STAFF)
ANIMAL SAFETY
To avoid injury or death due to ingestion, entanglement, suffocation, entrapment of body parts, tooth damage or impaction enrichment items cannot be used to:
☐ entrap parts of the body in holes (e.g. head or legs caught in holes that are too small)
☐ wrap around parts of the body (e.g. fingers, hands, feet, limbs, horns, teeth caught in ropes, bungee cords, springs, chains or strangulation due to these materials)
☐ lodge small items in the mouth (e.g. choking hazard of small balls, ripped off bits of burlap sack)
☐ ingest non-food items (e.g. packaging, cloth and sewing threads, paper, cardboard with glue)
☐ aggression and/or distress (e.g. fighting with other animals in the enclosure to use the items, dominant individuals only having access, fear of item)
☐ cause disease or discomfort due to toxic and irritating materials and foods (e.g. irritation due to hairs on hides, irritation due to scents or spices, contaminated food, toxicity of plastics, PVC or other materials)
☐ cause obesity or dietary problems (e.g. if food is not taken from daily food allowance)
ZOO VISITOR & STAFF SAFETY
To avoid injury to people enrichment items cannot be used to:
☐ throw out of the enclosure as ‘missiles’ (e.g. balls, items frozen in ice blocks, wooden blocks)
☐ escape from the enclosure (e.g. as a bridge over a moat or as a ‘ladder’ against a wall; sticks, logs, bamboo poles, boxes, balls can be used)
☐ block doorways or keeper access (e.g. wedging a pole or stick against a door)
☐ crack or break glass partitions or fences or parts outside enclosure (e.g. use of PVC pipe)
☐ cause injury or strain to keepers or other zoo staff when cleaning or maintaining the items (e.g. if requires excessive bending or stretching or is heavy)
PRACTICALITIES
To enhance zoo visitor experience and appeal to zoo management enrichment items should:
☐ promote species-typical natural behavior
☐ look natural where possible
☐ be affordable, durable, easy to clean and maintain
☐ not require major enclosure changes