Photos: Animal enrichment activities at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Animals at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum engage in enrichment activities several times a week. The activities are not only fun, but are mentally and physically stimulating.
Enrichment activities are usually aimed at helping the animals feel as though they're in their natural habitats.
Animal enrichment
A javelina places her nose up to the fence after finishing the javelina painting at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 2021 N Kinney Rd., on September 11th, 2019. The Desert Museum does various enrichment actives to mentally stimulate the animals such as painting, walking through maze toys, navigating sensory boards, and food puzzles.
Animal enrichment
A javelina places her nose up to the fence after finishing the javelina painting at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 2021 N Kinney Rd., on September 11th, 2019. The Desert Museum does various enrichment actives to mentally stimulate the animals such as painting, walking through maze toys, navigating sensory boards, and food puzzles.
Animal enrichment
Emily Kornmuller, Mammalogy and Ornithology animal keeper, prepares a painting canvas for the javelina paint on at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 2021 N Kinney Rd., on September 11th, 2019. TThe Desert Museum does various enrichment actives to mentally stimulate the animals such as painting, walking through maze toys, navigating sensory boards, and food puzzles.
Animal enrichment
Emily Kornmuller, animal keeper, holds up the javelina's finish painting at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 2021 N Kinney Rd., on September 11th, 2019. The Desert Museum does various enrichment actives to mentally stimulate the animals such as Javelina painting.at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 2021 N Kinney Rd., on September 11th, 2019. The Desert Museum does various enrichment actives to mentally stimulate the animals such as painting, walking through maze toys, navigating sensory boards, and food puzzles.
Animal enrichment
Penny, skunk at Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, moves through a cat toy to find food at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 2021 N Kinney Rd., on September 11th, 2019. The Desert Museum does various enrichment actives to mentally stimulate the animals such as painting, walking through maze toys, navigating sensory boards, and food puzzles.
Animal enrichment
Crystal Holcombe, collections specialist, places a peanut on a toy to entice Sheldon Plankton, black tail prairie dog, to use the toy at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 2021 N Kinney Rd., on September 11th, 2019. The Desert Museum does various enrichment actives to mentally stimulate the animals such as painting, walking through maze toys, navigating sensory boards, and food puzzles.
Animal enrichment
Sheldon Plankton, Black Tail Prairie Dog, searches for a peanut in an enrichment toy at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 2021 N Kinney Rd., on September 11th, 2019. The Desert Museum does various enrichment actives to mentally stimulate the animals such as painting, walking through maze toys, navigating sensory boards, and food puzzles.
Animal enrichment
Sheldon Plankton, left, and Sandy Cheeks, black tail prairie dogs, search through newspaper strips in a Quaker Oats container at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 2021 N Kinney Rd., on September 11th, 2019. The Desert Museum does various enrichment actives to mentally stimulate the animals such as painting, walking through maze toys, navigating sensory boards, and food puzzles.
Animal enrichment
Luca, a MIilitary Macaw, looks for a nut in a kabob made out of recycled newspaper and cardboard at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 2021 N Kinney Rd., on September 11th, 2019. The Desert Museum does various enrichment actives to mentally stimulate the animals such as painting, walking through maze toys, navigating sensory boards, and food puzzles.
Animal enrichment
Crystal Holcombe, Interpretive Animal Collection keeper, rewards Luca, a Military Macaw, for completing a trained behavior at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 2021 N Kinney Rd., on September 11th, 2019. The Desert Museum does various enrichment actives to mentally stimulate the animals such as painting, walking through maze toys, navigating sensory boards, and food puzzles.
Animal enrichment
Dominique Blair, Interpretive Animal Collection keeper, places Mancha, a common king snake, on a sensory board at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 2021 N Kinney Rd., on September 11th, 2019. The Desert Museum does various enrichment actives to mentally stimulate the animals such as painting, walking through maze toys, navigating sensory boards, and food puzzles.
Rebecca Sasnett
Photojournalist
From Javelinas that paint and stingrays that swim through hoops, here's how the Desert Museum keeps its animals mentally and physically stimulating
Visitors to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum will see temporary safety modifications due to the coronavirus pandemic as the museum begins its phased reopening.