The Oasis Team at Disney’s Animal Kingdom worked through the S.P.I.D.E.R Framework for the Giant Anteater. The following is an overview of the process.
Setting Goals
The team first answered the Goal Setting Questions for the Giant Anteater. This is an example of one such question and its answer:
- What are some self-maintenance or comfort behaviors (e.g., preening, grooming, bathing, etc.)?
- Anteaters groom themselves using their claws, paying special attention to their tail. Bathing in water also occurs.
Next they met as a group and worked through the goal setting matrix. Below is an example of a few questions from the matrix.n
- Is this a behavior they have an opportunity to do now?
- Is this behavior something that you would like to promote more of?
- Yes, perhaps by adding a sprinkler/hose
Planning
From that meeting, the team agreed to turn in an enrichment approval form for a hose/mister bath.
The plan was approved and the team was asked to monitor the effect the water had on erosion to the exhibit.
Implementing
The team implemented their initiative!
Documenting and Evaluating
During the implementation, the team documented the initiative's effectiveness. Below is their evaluation of the initiative.
- The goal behaviors of bathing and grooming were achieved with this initiative.
- The team also found that offering opportunities for "showering" decreases pacing activity that they had seen previously.
- The anteater was more active and visible to guests.
- The team also found that it takes time for the keeper to manually offer the shower with the hose. They thought that if the hose was connected to a mister system with a timer that it would alleviate the time constraints.
Re-Adjusting
The following are the adjustments made to the initiative.
- Attach hose to a mister system.
- Put it on a timer to decrease time requirements of keepers.
- Timer will also allow for more variability.
- Monitor habitat for erosion.
- Perform subjective assessment summary in six months.
