In the wild, animals are constantly interacting with plants, shrubs, trees and foliage. It is not only nourishment, but for fun and enrichment. It is entertainment and stimulation and animals love interacting with it. At the Cincinnati Zoo, they have an unusual method of storing for the winter when no browse is available on the grounds: A browse roundup. Here is a video of people from all over the zoo: Bird House, Commissary, Nocturnal, Nutrition, Veldt, even Veterinarians came to the “Round Up” to help pack up browse for the winter:
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Patricia Sund
What kind of plants are these? How is the word “browse” defined in this context? Great video!
Melissa,
I’m going to have to check again for you, but i remember one of them is mulberry.
P.
Hi Melissa,
Steve Malowski from the Cincinnati Zoo got back to me. This is what he said:
“Mainly its Mulberry, Ash, Pear, Honeysuckle, Bamboo, Willow and oddly enough not any type of Maple (a surprise to me).”
So there you are: right from the Lead Bird Dude himself!
Melissa,
I just sent an email to Steve at the Zoo. He’ll check with the commissary on the types of trees being used.
Zoos use the word “browse” to refer to animals playing with and munching on tree branches. Oregon Zoo has a post about it at their website. Here’s the link:
http://www.oregonzoo.org/Exhibits/Gardens/browse.htm