Watch our Asiatic lions in action as ZSL's Jim Mackie explains the importance of environmental enrichment.
What is enrichment and why is it important for our lions?
Environmental or behavioural enrichment is a term we use in zoos to describe the work we do in an animal’s environment that improves their well-being and promotes natural behaviours.
Our keepers spend a lot of time coming up with new enrichment activities. At ZSL our enrichment has specific goals such as climbing or jumping, or increasing the amount of time an animal forages for food, which is really important for our animals, including our Asiatic lions Bhanu, Rubi, Heidi and Indi.
Enrichment items like the blue buoys increase our lions' activity, and as you can see from the video, they enjoyed investigating the new items in their habitat and interacting with them in a playful manner. The lions like items they can sink their teeth into and destroy, so the blue buoys are perfect!
- Discover more about our Asiatic lions and how to tell our girls apart
- Find out how ZSL is working to protect Asiatic lions in the wild
- Learn more about enrichment and training
Liontrust, the specialist fund management company, are proud supporters of our Asiatic Lions.
Select a blog
Our people are our greatest asset and we realise our vision for a world where wildlife thrives through their ideas, skills and passion. An inspired, informed and empowered community of people work, study and volunteer together at ZSL.
At ZSL, a key area of our work is the employment of Nature-based Solutions – an approach which both adapt to and mitigates the impacts of climate change. These Solutions, which include habitat protection and restoration, are low-cost yet high-impact, and provide multiple benefits to people and wildlife. We ensure that biodiversity recovery is at the heart of nature-based solutions.
A blog for lovers of ZSL London Zoo, bringing you extraordinary animal facts and exclusive access to the world's oldest scientific zoo.
Do you love wildlife? Discover more about our amazing animals at the UK's biggest zoo!
We're working around the world to conserve animals and their habitats, find out more about our latest achievements.
From the field to the lab, catch up with the scientists on the cutting edge of conservation biology at ZSL’s Institute of Zoology.
A day in Discovery and Learning at ZSL is never dull! The team tell us all about the exciting sessions for school children, as well as work further afield.
Every month, one of the pieces held in ZSL’s Library and at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo will feature here as Artefact of the Month.
Read testimonials from our Members and extracts from ZSL's award winning members' magazine, Wild About.
The Chagos archipelago is a rare haven for marine biodiversity. Hear from the team about our projects to protect the environments in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).
ZSL works across Asia, from the famous national parks of Nepal to marine protected areas in the Philippines. Read the latest updates on our conservation.
An Open Access journal for research at the interface of remote sensing, ecology and conservation.
