Whether mammals have the intelligence to detect the differences of their wild habitat or zoo exhibits has yet to be confirmed; however, there has been increasing research in the complexities of mammal behavior and how zoos affect them psychologically. Mammals in zoos today are forced to eat unfamiliar foods and live in enclosures where their activity and exercise is greatly decreased due to a lack of space. These mammals are intelligent, but the enclosures they are in now do not allow for them to be stimulated through hunting or activities. In order to combat the lacking habitats that zoos provide for mammals, which are generally too small and lack enriching activities that these mammals would normally receive in the wild, scientists have undergone new …show more content…
The new ideas developed from enrichment research help to stimulate natural behavior in mammals through changing feeding procedures and their environment. If mammals can feel the way that humans do, they also get bored like humans do and lazy like humans do. Mammals in zoos are there for humans enjoyment, so it is the humans and zoos job to better care for these mammals. Zoos can better provide for mammals scientifically through changing how the mammals feed, what they eat, and their enclosures in zoos.
An important aspect of environment enrichment is changing a mammal 's feeding habits to become more stimulating. At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, giraffes are provided with alternative ways of getting their food such as placing their food in tree feeders. “The browse feeders let the giraffes feed as they do in the wild and allow visitors to observe the giraffes ' natural foraging behaviors” (Ben-ari). The aspect of allowing the mammals to behave like they would in the wild provides for a more realistic environment which benefits both the mammals and the educational purposes and conservation efforts of the zoos. Additionally, due to the more stimulating environment, the mammals display more