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A giraffe feeder system contains a belt feeder that dispenses grain into a trough over the span
of a day. To reach the grain, a giraffe maneuvers its long tongue into a tube and past the pegs
(see close-up on right). The feeder draws out natural behavior in the animals.

Behavioral Diversity
With a background in behavioral research, Miller is also studying Before the giraffe study began, the animals had already
new research that looks at cues in animal behavior that indicate benefited from modifications to their habitat to keep them active
welfare status, particularly positive welfare status. The idea is not throughout the year. “We said, ‘What can we do during the
new—researchers have long used play behavior and exploration as winter to engage them more, to make them more active, to
indicators that an animal is doing well, he said. “But they’re not elevate their welfare status?’” said Zeigler. “That’s when the
always reliable indicators. It doesn’t happen a lot, but you can have enrichment program came in.”
animals playing when they’re not in a good situation.” The enrichment program is run by Tim Sullivan, curator of
Miller has published a number of papers on a promising behavioral husbandry. “My job is to educate the staff and come
potential indicator of positive animal welfare—behavioral diversity, up with creative solutions to draw behaviors out of animals to
or the range of natural behaviors an individual animal engages in. increase their welfare. If an animal is showing you six behaviors
Studies have concluded that animals that exhibited a diverse range and we can change the types of behavior they display to 10,
of behaviors were doing better than animals showing a narrower we’ve enhanced their welfare.”
range. Creating opportunities for an animal to interact with its Sullivan works collaboratively with the animal care staff to
environment as it would in the wild increases its behavioral identify natural behaviors they want to see in animals. Then they
diversity and welfare. devise strategies to evoke those behaviors. For example, an
“Animals are highly motivated to perform certain behaviors,” important part of the giraffe diet is calorie- and nutrient-dense
said Miller. “For example, pigs are highly motivated to build nests grain. A giraffe could down an entire bowl of grain in one big
before giving birth. Mice are motivated to burrow. So providing slurp, said Sullivan.
them substrate that allows this behavior is critical. If you don’t “Yet for millions of years, they got that same nutrition by
allow animals to engage in those behaviors, their welfare can be spending 12 to 14 hours a day using their tongues to pull out
compromised.” leaves from between the sharp thorns of acacia trees.”
32 GATEWAYS | THRIVING