other researchers don’t want to study how to treat issues
like stress and boredom: they want to prevent them from
happening in the irst place.
“What evidence do we have that animals are ‘happy’ in
their environments?” she asks. “I would like us to get to
places where animals aren’t just doing OK, but are doing
really well.”
his means iguring out how to assess an animal’s well-
being not only by measuring hormones, but also by seeing how
it plays, if it’s curious, how it socializes, what sounds it makes,
and more. “What does the good stuf look like versus the
bad stuf?” Wielebnowski asks. She even hopes they can one
day decipher facial expressions: “Can you identify a smiling
elephant or a smiling chimpanzee? hat’s really new work.”
Enrichment for All
Between ground-breaking scientiic research and
ongoing enrichment activities, stress and boredom
in captive animals seems to be diminishing. With
clouded leopards, for example, recommendations
now say that their enclosures should let them climb
to at least 12 feet (3.6 m). In Canada, mink farmers
must give some type of enrichment to
their animals.
Plus, Meagher says, “here are many studies
on the beneits of environmental enrichment on
other species.” Even species that might not seem
to experience excitement or boredom can beneit,
including reptiles and amphibians or ish.
Although Wielebnowski has worked with big
cats, she encourages us to keep smaller creatures
in mind. “Pets may have wonderful places to live in,
but boredom is a really big issue that can lead to
excessive stress and diseases that we see in animals
and humans alike.”
So excuse me for ditching this article: it’s time to
go play with my dog!Canadian writer Galadriel Watson owns two cats and a dog.
While they sometimes look bored, they certainly keep her
life busy! Check out what other non-boring subjects she
writes and draws about at http://www.galadrielwatson.com.