Happy animals at the Willow Park Zoo

The management and volunteers of Willow Park Zoo are currently implementing enrichment to improve the well-being of their animals. The animals are becoming happier and more healthy as the staff of the zoo improves the quality of life for the animals.

“We want the physical, emotional and mental well-being of all the animals,” said Troy Cooper, the zoo director. “So we have to have enrichment. That’s something that we’ve implemented.”

Cooper said enrichment gives the animals opportunities to be active and experience new surroundings, foods, and games. For instance, the zoos large tortoise was temporarily set loose in the education building to give it a change of scenery. Cooper said, sometimes the monkeys are given new foods. He said they tried feeding the monkeys cockroaches and kidney beans -- neither was well received.  

“Enrichment is giving animals stimulation,” Cooper said. “It varies from letting them walk around the room, to complex toys.”

Cooper said they have made a lot of progress in helping the animals being happy at the zoo.

“Our animals were very depressed when I first started,” Cooper said. “Particularly, the main building birds --we had a lot of self-plucking and behavioral issues. They’re still not completely normal, but, they’re better. Our one Yellow-Headed Amazon, he didn’t have any feathers on the top of his head. Now, he’s growing feathers back. So, it’s coming. You can see the difference.”

Barbara Tew, the education director, said she has seen an improvement in the animals since the staff began implementing enrichment. Even the most simple of ideas can help stimulate the animals.

“We just put a pile of leaves in with the foxes,” Tew said. “And once they realized it wasn’t going to hurt them, they were jumping around in it -- and loving it.”

Tew said that enrichment helps the animals stay healthy and keeps their minds active. However, enrichment also keeps the minds of the volunteers active. Coming up with new ideas for enrichment can be challenging. She said one student at Utah State University has been making paper mache boxes filled with food for the animals. She said it gives the animals something to think and work through.

“With all change and growth comes new challenges,” Cooper said.  “And we’ll take them as they come. The animals are happier and are more active. The staff has done a great job going in there and working with them.”