This month's book review isn't too much of a leisure read, but is an excellent work for those interested in gaining an understanding of the philosophy and principles of environmental enrichment. Second Nature, edited by David Shepherdson, Jill Mellen, and Michael Hutchins, is a collection of papers written by a diverse collection of behavioralists, zoo biologists, and physcologists. It introduces the reader to the basic principles of the field, explores its benefits (this book was written in the early 1990's, at a time when there were still plenty of folks in the zoo field who needed convincing), and details the various ways in which it can improve the lives and welfare of a variety of species. When I first read this book as an undergrad in college, I was very impressed by the chapter on enrichment for reptiles, a topic which was eschewed by many zoo professionals at the time. Today, it's value is much more clearly understood.
The book is the published form of conference proceedings, so the tone and accessibility of the different chapters may vary by author. A point can also be made that much of what was revolutionary at the time of publication has since been expanded upon greatly, and there are now more current resources which may be of more practical use to a keeper or curator.
Still, I find this book to be an invaluable resource in its own way - in the same way that On the Origin of Species has been followed by more books with better understanding of evolution, but still embodies the genesis of the idea. The true key to understanding environmental enrichment comes down to learning not so much the how of it - we're always devising new and better methods. It's about making sure we really understand the why.
Second Nature: Environmental Enrichment for Captive Animals at Good Reads
No comments:
Post a Comment