Timber, a North American black bear, explores a new tree in her enclosure that is filled with special treats such as lettuce, peanuts, dog food and honey on Thursday Jan. 10, 2019 at the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas. Giving the bears new trees and hiding different foods is an enrichment activity that encourages their foraging instinct. Each year around Christmas the Caldwell Zoo encourages patrons to donate animal enrichment items. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

A curious impala watches as three lionesses, just a few yards away, bat around rubber balls like kittens.

A dozen meerkats surround a strange tub filled with colorful plastic balls before working up the courage to take turns diving in to snack on mealworms hidden at the bottom.

These are just some of the enrichment activities the Caldwell Zoo employs to keep its animals happy and healthy.

Enrichment coordinator Tori Malley works with zookeepers to identify objects and activities to help the animals mimic activities they might do in the wild.

“We want to challenge and encourage them to hone their natural abilities,” she said.

Just after Christmas, zookeeper Hayley Bragg took two Christmas trees and filled them with romaine lettuce, monkey biscuits, oranges, honey and more.

Black bear siblings Tyler and Timber excitedly searched the trees, foraging for their favorite treats. Tyler loves the lettuce, but Timber is a fan of Science Diet dog food. After a few minutes of foraging to get treats, the bears started shaking the trees and knocked them over.

“The trees are stimulating them to do some foraging, which they would do out in the wild to hunt for their food,” Bragg said.

In the African exhibit, Bragg set up toys for the lionesses, including three hard rubber Boomer Balls and a 55-gallon barrel. The barrel was at one point striped like a zebra, but the lions had long since scraped off the paint. It’s due for a replacement soon.

The lions found their balls and looked like the world’s largest house cats while playing with them. Curious wildebeests, impalas and gazelles watched safely from across the moat separating them.

Like all cats, the lions quickly lost some of their toys and yowled sadly as they watched the balls roll down into the artificial creek. 

Mammal curator Scotty Stainback said that after identifying the triggers the animals respond to, zookeepers work to find activities to help the animals satisfy their instinctual urges.

“It’s not something we arbitrarily do,” Stainback said. “Our main goal is to enhance the welfare of the animal. It’s a very involved process.”

Keepers, nutritionists and experts review every object to ensure it is safe to use.

If an animal has a vitamin deficiency, the zoo can then use appropriate enrichment foods to help. Stainback said they try to ensure the products are sugar free.

Each year at Christmas, the zoo puts up its Enrichment Tree with gift suggestions for the animals.

Some of the gifts from visitors this year included condiments, spices, baby food, peanut butter and jelly, and even Listerine. Malley said the Listerine is used in enrichment for coatis, a close relative of raccoons found mostly in South and Central America.

Even the birds take part in enrichment activities. The macaws bobbed up and down excitedly as birdkeeper Ricki Snyder tried to hang a toy made of wood and rope, which they made short work of. The toy helps the macaws sharpen their beaks, which are powerful enough to snap right through the pieces of wood.

Malley said enrichment isn’t a daily activity for the animals. More intelligent animals such as the primates receive more frequent enrichment. The goal is to help the animals maintain their natural skills and habits, without desensitizing them to the enrichment tools.

Keeping the enrichment activities fresh for Caldwell Zoo animals takes a lot of work and variety. Visitors don’t have to wait for Christmas to buy their favorite animals a present though; the zoo maintains an Amazon wish list year-round. Visit http://a.co/iPLoFrA to find the list.