Herb Enrichment

Interesting e-mail just circulated at NC Zoo. Keeper Wendy Green, at the Sonora Desert exhibit, offers herbs to other keepers for animal enrichment.

Smells, tastes and textures all can offer enrichment to Zoo animals. So herbs are a "natural".

Wendy reports "We have fresh mint, lemon balm, catnip and parsley. They are all approved on the mammal enrichment list (I am pretty sure for birds as well)."

Nice by-product of weeding just done at the Desert "herb garden".

Not surprised fresh mint heads the list. It sure does grow well in this part of Carolina. (Ann was doing a little container-garden, mint-weeding just last night.)