Safety
It is
possible for enrichment strategies to pose dangerous, even fatal, hazards to
animals. Information about incidents that have occurred can be invaluable for
preventing similar injuries in other institutions. The Shape of Enrichment
offers the following information to raise awareness of safety issues concerning
enrichment.
Safety Database
Many animal
care professionals are reluctant to publish this vital information, due to
concerns that it may reflect badly on their institution. The Safety Database provides this vital information in
an anonymous forum and can be searched by any (or all) of
three criteria: taxonomic group, enrichment material, and/or safety hazard.
If you have information concerning a safety incident
involving enrichment, please submit this, via e-mail, to our Safety Editor.
Once received, we will remove all identifying factors such as name, e-mail,
institution, etc. before posting.
Safety Database
Contact
the Safety Editor
Downloadable Publications
The following articles may have safety information you find
helpful. Our thanks go out to the authors for giving permission to offer these
publications. These are pdf files. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, you can download a free
version from Adobe.
Enrichment Gone Wrong!
by Valerie Hare, Beth Rich, and Karen Worley (2008)
English
Romana
A Veterinary Assessment of the Risks and Benefits of Environmental
Enrichment by Ann Duncan (1997)
English
Download Acrobat
Reader