Nehru Zoological Park prioritises animal mental health, focuses on moot enrichment

Time of India

5 hours ago

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Hyderabad: At the Nehru Zoological Park (NZP), animal care goes beyond physical health. Besides providing healthcare treatment at the veterinary hospital for the physical upkeep of animals, officials are now focusing on their mental well-being too, through a moot enrichment programme, which consists of placing structures inside animal enclosures to provide recreational activities for the animals.
"For an animal to be truly healthy, it's very important for its mental health to be taken care of. People often think that mental health is only associated with human beings, but it equally matters when it comes to animals too," said Sunil S Hiremath, the director of NZP.
Mental health key factor
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Various studies in the past few years have validated the importance of mental health in animals and have identified various mental health conditions that animals face.
According to a study done by nine recognised veterinary scientists from different prestigious universities across the world called the '2020 Five Domains Model', findings revealed that the physical and mental state of animals are inherently linked.
The study recognised that the mental health of animals is central to their welfare, which gets compromised if the other four domains—nutrition, health, environment, and behaviour—are negatively affected.
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Other studies have reported depression-like conditions in animals when they were exposed to solitary confinement, loss of a loved one, and chronic stress. Animals also experience a condition called zoochosis, which is a state of mental anguish exhibited by captive animals as a result of stress, frustration, or deprivation of natural needs.
"It becomes extremely difficult for an animal when it gets taken away from its natural habitat and put in a zoo.
At the zoo, they are suddenly exposed to conditions they are not used to, like restrictions and relatively small spaces, which can make them feel claustrophobic. If necessary steps are not taken to deal with this, there's a high chance that an animal can become dull and very sick," said Deepak Tarun, an educator working with the zoo.
What is Moot Enrichment?
The moot enrichment programme, which the zoo has been implementing since 2018, involves structures put up in the enclosures with the goal of creating an environment where the animal can be engaged, active, and happy.
The kind of structures that are put up varies from animal to animal.
"Just like how different methods work for different people, the same is the case with animals. For example, monkeys get immense happiness from swinging, so we have put up rope ladders for them to do just that. Leopards and jaguars love to perch on top of tall trees, so we have set up elevated corridors in their enclosures to provide an experience very similar to that. With tigers and lions, we make them work to get their food by placing it at a certain height, giving them a form of physical exercise and also enabling critical thinking in the process," Deepak explained.
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