From Booklist
The best zoos are no longer menageries, places where unusual animals are held in cages for the amusement of the bored public. They are now conservation centers, and the animals in their care contribute to the teaching of environmental awareness in zoo visitors. Zoos are also important genetic "arks," especially for the captive breeding of endangered species. How then can zoos make the lives of their captive animals more complete so that they will exhibit normal behaviors, breed in captivity, and possibly be released back into the wild? The current volume brings together the work of animal behaviorists to discuss environmental enrichment, a term that covers any modifications to the animals' social and physical environment. Divided into three sections covering theoretical bases, conservation and animal welfare, and husbandry and training, the various papers cover an array of training and caging techniques for species from primates to hoofed animals. This important volume will be of interest to every zoo fan and animal-behavior enthusiast, as well as those concerned with animal welfare, and belongs in libraries with large natural-history collections. Nancy Bent


Book News, Inc.
This is the paperbound edition of a 1998 work based on papers presented at the First Conference on Environmental Enrichment held in 1993 in Portland, Oregon. Coverage begins with theoretical foundations for environmental enrichment and continues with investigation of a broad range of contexts within which environmental enhancements ought to be considered. The importance of integrating enrichment in captive management, husbandry, and training is discussed; and the book concludes with suggested directions for zoo biologists seeking to enhance the science and application of environmental enrichment. -- Copyright © 1999 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR All rights reserved Book News, Inc.®, Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

Booknews