Who's Who in the Folsom Zoo; Enriching lives of Folsom Zoo animals

Editor's note: This is a weekly feature in the Folsom Telegraph where readers will get the opportunity to meet Folsom's furriest. This week's "Who's Who in Folsom Zoo" is about enriching the lives of the Folsom Zoo animals. At the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary, staff continually strives to find ways to keep the animals engaged and stimulated through the use of behavioral enrichment. Enrichment can consist of many different things including sensory items, toys and puzzle feeders. These items help to promote the animals' activity levels and satisfy their physical and psychological needs by encouraging the use of their natural behaviors they would use if living in their wild habitat. Wild tigers spend time hunting and searching for prey. The zoo sanctuary tigers Misty and Pouncer enjoy pushing around the play balls and odd-shaped cylindrical toys their zookeepers provide for them. This activity helps our tigers stay active and use their natural instincts as they "stalk" and "attack" the toys. Tigers are very powerful animals, so we must be sure to give them tiger-proof toys that can withstand their rough play. Spraying their toys with special scents or spices adds even more fun to their play time. Scents are one of the most frequently used enrichment items, since all animals are naturally drawn to investigate new smells. The zoo's raccoon resident Bernadette is offered many different enrichment opportunities throughout the day to satisfy her innate curiosity. She enjoys tearing into cardboard boxes and bags containing some of the various foods and treats that are part of her daily diet. Zookeepers sometimes put her food in puzzle feeders, and she always finds a way to get it all out! These enrichment activities allow Bernadette to use the natural foraging behaviors that wild raccoons use to find food in the wild. Another one of Bernie's favorite enrichment activities is a bubble bath! Occasionally, zookeepers will fill her pool with non-toxic bubbles, and Bernadette will hop right in to play. Raccoons have highly sensitive paws, so you will often see Bernadette dipping her front paws in water and rubbing them together to help with her dexterity. With the holidays approaching, many of our animals would enjoy new enrichment presents to keep their minds and bodies busy! If you would like to make a donation, go to folsom.ca.us to find the wish list or ask for information at the ticket booth. The Folsom Zoo Sanctuary located at 403 Stafford Street, and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.