Enrichment

Enrichments means both providing an environment that is as natural as possible with varied design and providing activities that correspond to the animals’ natural behavior.

For orangutans this means providing:

• opportunities for climbing and nest building
• wood or bamboo sticks which they enjoy biting and playing with

The OCCQ follows the guidelines of the Wolfgang Köhler Primate Research Centre at Leipzig Zoo http://wkprc.eva.mpg.de/english/files/enrichment.htm

Most of the orangutans in the sanctuary spend every second day in the forest and therefore (except for climbing possibilities in their enclosures) only need limited additional enrichment.

There are some animals, however, who for various reasons cannot leave their enclosures or cannot be reintroduced into the wild and will therefore probably spend the remainder of their lives in the sanctuary. Here are four examples.