Please don't touch, we're being enriched! In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Environmental Enrichment (1998)

Catlow, G., Ryan, P. M., Young, R. J.

Abstract

Enrichment often involves manipulation of animals' lives. However, non-interference in their social lives is an important form of environmental enrichment for chimpanzees. Rather than locking the chimpanzees into their indoor cages every evening, an average of 17 hours a day the animals were given continuous access to their whole area and each other 24 hours a day, except for routine cleaning. ... Almost from the beginning [1991] the group changed. There appeared to be a calming effect with the group actually being unified. The males became more tolerant towards one another, and started to socialise as a unit. ... Far more normal behaviours are present and the afternoon tension for both animal and keeper has ceased.