Measuring Demeanour- A Qualitative Tool to Assess Animal Welfare

What is demeanour and why would we measure it? Demeanour is defined as “outward behaviour or bearing”. When looking at the demeanour of an animal, we are referring to the outward expression of how that animal is feeling and expressing itself at a given moment. Assessing demeanour is something that animal care staff will generally …

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Learn to Soar- Dealing with Burnout in the Animal Care Industry

Vultures are birds of prey that have several unique and recognizable characteristics including feeding on carrion and their trademark “bald” heads, but one of their most recognizable characteristics is their flight patterns. In Ontario, Canada, where I live, it is extremely common to drive by a farmer’s field in the summer and see several vultures …

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Animal Observations and Creating a Behaviour Baseline

I have written many articles about the benefits of a goal based enrichment programs and how to implement them into an animal care facility. In these articles I have looked extensively on the goal setting process and defining what success looks like, particularly with individual enrichment items, but how do we measure success on the …

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How to Think Critically and Make Better Decisions in Animal Care

The Most Important Skill in Animal Care The act of caring for an animal, whether exotic or domesticated, is generally not that hard, people have been caring for animals for thousands of years, with a great deal of success. However, as we learn more about animal behaviour and as the science around what they really …

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How to Make a DIY Time Delay Enrichment Feeder

Why timed feeders are a valuable tool Time delay feeders are a fantastic tool for animal care staff to use as many animals in an institution have the tendency to adapt their routines and schedules around their caretakers. Timed feeders allow animal care staff to essentially provide enrichment and foraging opportunities when they are not …

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Podcast Ep. 12- Natural vs Non-Natural Enrichment Items, Enrichment Challenge Survey Results

In todays episode we once again sit down with Ben Martin to chat enrichment. We go over the results of the Enrichment Challenge survey and what those results mean for the industry. We also talk about how to save time with enrichment and the debate between natural and non-natural enrichment items. Check us out on: …

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Podcast Ep. 11- Talking with Chris Isbarn from Widukind Enrichments

Today we sit down with Chris Isbarn from Widukind Enrichments to talk about his business as well as some enrichment concepts. To check out Widukind Enrichments work, check out the links below! https://www.widukind-enrichments.de https://www.instagram.com/widukindenrichments/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/widukindenrichments/ Check us out on: Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL3dpbGRlbnJpY2htZW50L2ZlZWQueG1s Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/6QqKgrOWcmITeOlmnwugcj?si=13YJX39PRqePjsTcKr3QaQ Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-wild-enrichment-podcast/id1498330230

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