Jason Beale, Director of Live Animal Care at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center in Petersburg, Pennsylvania demonstrated an example of species specific enrichment with a wonderfully responsive, eager and very friendly black vulture named Mathilda. In order to keep her skills sharp, Beale placed pieces of meat into an empty egg carton, closed it up and encouraged Mathilda to dig for food with her extra long beak, as she would do in the wild. Mathilda, like the other raptors there, was brought to the center after being treated and rehabilitated injuries, making her unable to be returned to the wild.
