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Office of Research and Innovation
Research Administration and Compliance

Standard on Environmental Enrichment

This standard defines/describes environmental enrichment requirements for university-owned animals. All persons involved with the care and/or use of animals in research and/or teaching at the University including, but not limited to facility staff,  Principal Investigators, and researchers.

Standard

The Guide states that “the primary aim of environmental enrichment is to enhance animal well being by providing animals with sensory and motor stimulation, through structures and resources that facilitate the expression of species-typical behaviors and promote psychological well-being through physical exercise, manipulative activities, and cognitive challenges according to species-specific characteristics”.

Ideally, enrichment strategies should be science-based and based on species-specific behavior and physiology, as well as sufficiently sustained attractiveness (e.g., rotate enrichment items) and utility to the animals to achieve the desired outcomes (Ag Guide 4th Ed). Enrichment should be assessed to ensure it is being beneficially utilized by the animal. Enrichment types may include:

  • Social enrichment, which involves direct or indirect (visual, olfactory, auditory) contact with conspecifics (other individuals of the same species) or humans. 
  • Occupational enrichment, which encompasses both psychological enrichment (e.g., devices that provide animals with control or challenges) and enrichment that encourages exercise.
  • Physical enrichment, which can involve altering the size or complexity of the animal’s enclosure or adding accessories to the enclosure such as objects, substrate, or permanent structures (e.g., nest-boxes, perches, huts, etc). These items should be sanitizable and inspected regularly to ensure they are safe for use. 
  • Sensory enrichment, which involves stimuli that are visual (e.g., television or video), auditory (music, vocalizations), or in other modalities (e.g., olfactory, tactile, taste).
  • Nutritional enrichment involves either presenting varied or novel food types or changing the method of food delivery

Animal use, environment, and species will largely dictate the environmental enrichment needs of animal populations.  Environmental enrichment programs may vary significantly across facilities and therefore should be detailed out in specific facility SOPs or Guidelines or other forms of documentation.

Per the Guide, “enrichment programs should be reviewed by the IACUC, researchers, and veterinarian (UAV or designee) on a regular basis to ensure that they are beneficial to animal well-being and consistent with the goals of animal use.”  Facility-level programs will be reviewed to ensure alignment with this standard during semi-annual inspections, and the overall program will be reviewed by the IACUC during the semi-annual program review.

All NC State-owned animals must be enrolled in an environmental enrichment program unless a specific exception is described in the applicable IACUC Application for Vertebrate Animal Use and approved by the IACUC.  Individual animal exemptions may be approved by the University Attending Veterinarian or designee for medical reasons.

References