Environmental enrichment in zoos

In this study conducted at Terra Natura Murcia Zoo the use of feces as sensory enrichment in mammals was evaluated analyzing its impact on behavior and stress. We worked with three predator species (lions hyenas leopards) and three prey (lemurs colobus cercopithecines) observing their reactions by means of ethogrammes and measuring fecal cortisol. The results showed that the predators increased their exploratory behaviors while the prey reduced their activity and showed an increase in cortisol levels.