Enrichment using dried banana plant fibres | Loro Parque

Enrichment with dried banana fibres in Loro Parque! Loro Parque animals enjoy a novel enrichment made with banana ‘badana’, a material obtained from the fibres of the banana stalk once they have dried and which is collected directly from Loro Parque's ecological farms, guaranteeing that it does not contain any harmful substances. With it, Loro Parque's terrestrial mammal team has prepared "balls" which are filled with food and which constitute an ideal environmental enrichment to stimulate the animals. For residents in the Canary Islands, this material may be familiar, as it was used to make toy balls in the last century, when there were no resources to buy them.

Environmental enrichment is a key part of the welfare of animals living in human care because it encourages the development of their natural behaviours. It involves providing the animal with a range of stimuli that challenge its senses and intelligence to develop skills and behaviours similar to those it would develop in the wild.

The devices used in environmental enrichment are not simply toys for entertainment, but have clear and concise objectives so that the animals can develop their natural behaviours, just as they do in their natural habitat when, for example, they use tools to forage and obtain certain foods.

There are different types of environmental enrichment for animals: sensory (visual, olfactory...), nutritional, playful/cognitive, structural, social...

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