Abstract
Olfactory stimuli are frequently integrated into zoo enrichment programs. This ‘olfactory enrichment’ can stimulate reproduction or naturalistic behaviour, enhance enclosure exploration, or reduce inactivity. However, not all scents achieve their desired goals, and can in fact bring about undesirable behaviour such as increased levels of stereotypy. Few attempts have been made to quantify the impact of introducing olfactory stimuli to zoo enclosures, and there are inherent difficulties when designing, implementing and evaluating olfactory enrichment. Firstly, it is difficult without appropriate chemical analyses to anticipate what information a scent conveys, and therefore whether it will be received as an excitatory or aversive stimulant. Second, more practical difficulties are encountered. Consideration needs to be given to (i) the choice of scent used, its relevance and motivation, (ii) how to present the scent in time and space, (iii) individual variation in response rates and neophobia (fear of novelty) to scents, and finally (iv) the health implications linked to the use of olfactory stimuli. This paper reviews the olfactory stimuli used in zoos as enrichments and their reported effects. Practical suggestions are made to encourage and stimulate more empirical quantification of olfactory stimulation in zoo animals.
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Clark, F., King, A.J. (2008). A Critical Review of Zoo-based Olfactory Enrichment. In: Hurst, J.L., Beynon, R.J., Roberts, S.C., Wyatt, T.D. (eds) Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 11. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-73945-8_37
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