<img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-825" title="enrichment_options" src="http://aecetia.net/gws/aazk/wp-content/uploads/enrichment_options-300x117.jpg" alt="enrichment_options" width="300" height="117" /><strong><em>EO Editors -
Julie Hartell-DeNardo, Saint Louis, MO and Ric Kotarsky, Tulsa Zoo &amp; Living Museum</em></strong>

Since you will probably determine it somewhere down the paragraph, let me start this paper with sharing the simple fact that grammar has never been my strength.  So, while I’ll be discussing my perspective on the word “enrichment” and its applications in a zoological setting relative to treating it as a noun or a verb, the discussion is more about how we use the word relative to our goals and to the effects (or is it affects?) it has on the animals we care for and less to do with actual grammar.  Therefore please forgive any of my unintentional grammatical errors (or intentional grammar humor) while I try to use a grammatical analogy to describe an important way of thinking about this valuable behavioral husbandry technique.  The core question being:  Did that enrichment item (noun) actually enrich (verb) the animal(s) to which it was given?  I would argue that if the affect or consequence isn’t there, then the usage of the word “enrichment” as a noun isn’t accurate.

“Did you give the animals enrichment today”, “They got X for enrichment yesterday”, “X is species Y’s favorite enrichment”, “He didn’t like his enrichment today”, …

While we use many diverse items, objects or supplies for providing enrichment opportunities to the animals we care for, it is the actual consequence of those tools wherein the real power of enrichment as a behavioral husbandry technique lies.  It’s less about what tangible items we gave and more about what we provided (opportunities, choice, control, variety, novelty…) or changed (behavior patterns, activity budgets, social interaction, behavioral repertoire, stereotypies,…).  So rather than thinking about what enrichment (noun) you’ll give to an animal, think about how you will enrich (verb) that animal.

<strong>Enrichment </strong>

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1891" title="palm_browse1" src="http://aecetia.net/gws/aazk/wp-content/uploads/palm_browse1.jpg" alt="palm_browse1" width="699" height="514" />

<em>Hung palm browse</em>

<strong>Enriching</strong>

<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1892" title="zebra_palm" src="http://aecetia.net/gws/aazk/wp-content/uploads/zebra_palm-1024x814.jpg" alt="zebra_palm" width="819" height="651" />

Zebra grazing under palm browse; walked under it and nibbled on it, took longer to consume daily hay ration and increa