Drama-Based Play Practices as Complex Enrichment for Chimpanzees in Captivity

Abstract

This thesis study focuses on exploring drama-based play practices as complex enrichment for chimpanzees in human-managed settings and draws on trans-species psychiatry, embodied aspects of creativity, and the positive effects of the human-animal bond to inform the design of its activities. The PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, and empathy) strategy frames the application of the drama-based activities to support sensory stimulation, motor action, and cognitive engagement. These activities leverage environmental objects commonly offered as enrichment but used differently in ‘storied doing’ with caregivers. In other words, the objects are part of the process of enrichment and are not the sole means of enrichment. The drama-based strategies were chosen to facilitate new experiences through different means of locomotion, sensory perception, kinaesthetic exploration of materials, and creative expression in co-creation with a caregiver.