Ellis, Jane Fenner, August 1993 - BEHAVIORAL ENRICHMENT FOR CAPTIVE ORANGUTANS Abstract: In recent years zoologists, primatologists and others concerned with the care of captive wild animals have endeavored to improve the physical and psychological conditions under which such animals are housed. This study was devised and implemented to test the hypothesis that intervention, through the introduction of novel items and foods, would significantly alter the behavioral frequencies and spatial preferences of the subjects, Skinny and Sophie, two adult Bornean orangutans housed at Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida. Informal preliminary observations of over 19 hours familiarized the researcher with the range of behaviors displayed by the subjects and contributed to the formulation of the ethogram that was utilized in the remainder of the study. Thirty-eight hours of observations were recorded in a baseline condition, with no intervention present, and 91 hours and 15 minutes of data were recorded after the addition of psychological enrichment (including objects for manipulation and dietary enhancements). Additionally, 33 hours and 35 minutes of data were recorded on specific novel items to discover subject preferences. Findings from the study reveal that intervention did affect the frequencies of behaviors and location preferences exhibited by the subjects. There were also significant gender differences in the way in which the subjects responded to intervention. It is also noteworth that social play, which had never been observed among the subjects either by the researcher or Busch Gardens personnel, occurred after the introduction of interventions. Recommendations offered at the close of the study include the continuation of enrichment in a more consistent and aggressive manner; it is also suggested that input from zookeepers involved in day-to-day animal care be a part of future projects. It is apparent that intervention enriched the animals both individually, by providing opportunities for object manipulation and dietary variation, and socially, by fostering positive playful interaction. .