Enrichment
Sea World has a structured and dedicated enrichment and welfare program and team who are responsible for monitoring and improving animal welfare throughout the park.
What is Enrichment?
Environmental Enrichment Device Diversity Wheel
Sea World has created their own environmental enrichment device (EED) diversity wheel. This is based off five key categories: sensory, physical habitat, food-related, social and cognitive. These categories encourage different species-specific behaviours. Our dolphins have over 150 EEDs, which ensures they are mentally stimulated daily. By providing enrichment, we are ensuring the animals in our care have choice and control in their environment. We utilise EEDs to strategically plan and prepare our enrichment to suit individual’s needs whilst promoting positive welfare. We create and implement new EEDs on a regular basis and constantly monitor the dolphins’ engagement. Did you know that over the past year, our records indicate that our dolphins showed interest in 90% of their observed enrichment sessions.
Behavioural Observations
Everyday, our Enrichment and Welfare team conduct behavioural observations on the animals in our care. Observations are conducted in different contexts, times, locations and are completed from out of sight to ensure specialists do not influence the animal’s behaviour. Monitoring behaviour gives us a deeper insight into individuals welfare status. Dr Isabella Clegg, an independent welfare specialist, has conducted cetacean welfare assessment on the dolphins in our care. Over the past two years of developing our enrichment and welfare program, the results indicate that the welfare scores have improved for majority of the dolphins (see figure 1). A good way to conceptualise the percentage scores is to consider them as an estimate of how often the animals are in positive states of welfare. For example, the dolphins who live at Dolphin Beach are in positive states 88.5% of time, which is a great result.
The Five Categories of Enrichment
Cognitive
Here you can see the dolphins cooperatively working together to problem solve. To release ice cubes from the bucket, they must successfully pull down on a lever. Cognitive enrichment encourages higher order thinking.
Sensory
Sensory enrichment incorporates different senses, such as touch, visual and sound just to name a few! Did you know, dolphins do not have a sense of smell? Dolphins are inquisitive animals, and often carry objects in their mouth, or on their fins. Here you can see RB exhibit this natural behaviour with a hoop.
Physical Habitat
Physical habitat enrichment involves adapting the environment where the animals reside. This could involve sinking several weighted objects to the bottom of our sandy bottom lagoons to encourage exploratory behaviours. Utilising paddle boards, or boats can help change the currents of the water, encouraging play behaviour, such as bow riding.
Food Related
Food related enrichment involves providing species specific diets, in novel, innovative ways. Here is Nudge, enjoying a frozen fish iceblock!
Social
Social enrichment includes social changes with animals of their own or different species. Using network of underwater gates, we can change the dolphins’ social groups to promote positive behaviour. Social enrichment could include building rapport with marine animal specialists via pats and swim sessions or even a visit from our seal family.
Dolphins and their Favourite Enrichment
Choice
The dolphins have their own personalities, so naturally prefer different types of enrichment. Over the past year free pats, balls and hose have been the top three most engaging EEDs. This graph highlights from left to right the dolphins’ preference of EEDs.
Stella
One of Stella’s favourite enrichment activities is to receive tactile interactions from our marine animal specialists!
Kiama
Is one of our most adventurous dolphins, he is very outgoing and always keen to try new enrichment. Here you can see him playing with some frozen EEDs.
Choice
The dolphins have their own personalities, so naturally prefer different types of enrichment. Over the past year free pats, balls and hose have been the top three most engaging EEDs. This graph highlights from left to right the dolphins’ preference of EEDs.
Stella
One of Stella’s favourite enrichment activities is to receive tactile interactions from our marine animal specialists!
Kiama
Is one of our most adventurous dolphins, he is very outgoing and always keen to try new enrichment. Here you can see him playing with some frozen EEDs.
Little Blue Penguin Enrichment
We use a range of different Environmental Enrichment Devices throughout Penguin Point.
These devices encourage the Little Blue Penguins to meet different activity goals ensuring.
They also encourage the Penguins to demonstrate their species-specific behaviours.
Enrichment keeps the penguins mentally stimulated and in optimal health.
We use a range of different Environmental Enrichment Devices throughout Penguin Point.
These devices encourage the Little Blue Penguins to meet different activity goals ensuring.
They also encourage the Penguins to demonstrate their species-specific behaviours.
Enrichment keeps the penguins mentally stimulated and in optimal health.
We use a range of different Environmental Enrichment Devices throughout Penguin Point.
These devices encourage the Little Blue Penguins to meet different activity goals ensuring.
They also encourage the Penguins to demonstrate their species-specific behaviours.
Enrichment keeps the penguins mentally stimulated and in optimal health.
We use a range of different Environmental Enrichment Devices throughout Penguin Point.
These devices encourage the Little Blue Penguins to meet different activity goals ensuring.
They also encourage the Penguins to demonstrate their species-specific behaviours.
Enrichment keeps the penguins mentally stimulated and in optimal health.
