We recently had visitors from Carnmoney Ladies FC donating their last season’s footballs to Belfast Zoo for animal enrichment and upcycling.
The girls visited Belfast Zoo last weekend and kicked their last season footballs into our ape enclosure to help us launch our own football team, Ape United FC. Animal enrichment is a key part of providing the best care possible for our animals. We are committed to identifying, developing and managing new and innovative enrichment techniques.
Zoo curator, Julie Mansell, explains “All our apes love to play with footballs; they throw, hold, bite and squeeze these items, the footballs are a great form of enrichment for our apes. Enrichment is a key part of providing the best care possible for our animals. We use a range of different enrichment techniques to encourage natural behaviours and to provide stimulation for our animals, including basic enclosure design, artificial termite mounds, frozen treats, scent bags, wobble feeders and much more!”
If you would like more information on suitable items or if you would like to donate to Belfast Zoo, call on 028 9077 6277 or email info@belfastzoo.co.uk. You can leave your donation into our business reception at the front of the zoo between 9.30am and 3.30pm daily. You can help provide enrichment for all the zoo’s animals by donating enrichment items such as:
- Logs
- Cardboard carpet tubes
- Cardboard tubes
- Fire hoses
- Hanging baskets
- Unbreakable mirrors
- Pine cones
- Sacks
- Bungee cord
- Brush / mop heads
- Netting
- Barrels
- Christmas trees