Environmental enrichment for zoo animals has moved from intuitive practice to evidence-based science, with validated methods that demonstrably improve animal welfare.
Enrichment science has moved beyond the question of whether enrichment matters to identifying which enrichment, for which species, and under what conditions. Effective enrichment gives animals control, challenges their cognitive and physical capabilities, and varies over time to prevent habituation. Enrichment that animals ignore or avoid is not welfare improvement - animal preference testing should guide enrichment provision. Zoos committed to welfare invest in enrichment research, rotate enrichment systematically, and evaluate its effectiveness through behavioural observation rather than simply providing objects.