Painted eggs for painted dogs
Saturday 15 April 2006
Our newest additions to ZSL London Zoo, African hunting dogs, were given a special treat by keepers on Thursday, just in time for Easter.
Forming part of the dogs enrichment activities, painted 'Easter eggs' were filled with meaty treats and planted within the enclosure.
African hunting dogs are also know as 'painted' dogs, due to their vibrant colouring and markings that function as camouflage in the wild.
Enrichment activities such as this encourage the dogs to work for their food just like they 
would in the wild.
For the zoological community, enrichment is the word that describes the approaches and principles adopted to improve the wellbeing of the animals in our care.
Our meerkats were also presented with some brightly coloured eggs. Stuffed with tasty meal worms, the eggs stimulated their natural curiosity and again made them work for a treat.
African hunting dogs form part of ZSL London Zoo’s newest exhibition Into Africa, also featuring giraffes, red river hogs, okapi, warthogs and zebra.
