Animal enrichment science provides evidence-based guidance on what types of enrichment effectively improve welfare versus what merely satisfies legal compliance requirements.
The science of enrichment demonstrates that not all enrichment is equal. Objects that satisfy legal requirements without engaging species-specific motivations provide minimal welfare benefit. Pigs given straw show dramatically more natural behaviour than pigs given hanging chains, even though both technically fulfil legal enrichment requirements. Evidence-based enrichment programmes that match provision to demonstrated behavioural needs deliver genuine welfare improvement rather than welfare theatre.