This type of enrichment focuses on enhancing the animal’s environment to mimic the habitat type it would prefer in the wild. This can be by placing natural or artificial items such as plants, manmade toys, swings, dens or caves, or even places to relax. The more natural and interesting the animal’s environment is, the more opportunity the animal will have to exhibit normal environmental behaviours while exploring their captive home. These behaviours can include climbing, basking, hiding, etc.  All of these permit the animal to use their muscles and stay active.

This enrichment promotes the use of one or more of the five senses (visual, tactile, auditory, olfactory and taste) and stimulates exploratory behaviors. For example, visual stimulus allows the animal to display their body signals and facial expressions through the use of images, lights, mirrors, etc. Auditory stimuli can include introducing vocalizations that are often present in the daily life of wild animals into the lives of animals in captivity through the use of recordings. These recordings are often of other animals, animals of the same species, or nature sounds, and are used to stimulate certain behaviors.

This type of enrichment allows animals to have a certain amount of control over their environment, in addition to promoting cognitive responses and behaviors by introducing new stimulants into their environment. Furthermore, nutritional enrichment allows animals to work for their food similar to the way it would be done in their natural environment.This type of enrichment consists of changing food presentation and location, offering new ingredients and changing feeding schedules or frequency. 

This type of enrichment focuses on problem solving related to food, social interactions, and anthropomorphic behaviours.  Games or challenges can be created within enclosures of social and asocial animals. One example of a puzzle could be to hide a food source inside of a log, box, etc. This will engage the animal in a problem solving scenario. If this is done among a group of social beings it can also improve social interaction, which is an important survival skill for these highly social beings.
Another form of cognitive enrichment is training an animal to exhibit wild behaviours. This not only promotes innate actions but also prohibits unnatural ones. If an animal is being trained it not only exercises their brain but it provides the ability to respond appropriately to positive reinforcement, something all animals learn to do in the wild at a young age. For example, a jaguar can be trained to scent roll onto objects with foreign smells by receiving a treat each time the correct behaviour is exhibited. Over time, the animal will expect a reward for completing the appropriate behaviour desired. This is not only healthy for the exhibition of innate behaviours but also keeps the animal busy and entertained, which is effective for depression prevention.

If an individual is expected to be released back into the wild it should have minimal human contact beyond feedings, cleanings, and quick enrichment implementation. The rehabilitating animal should not be given any foreign objects or food that they would not normally come across in their natural habitat. If an animal loses its innate fear of people and/or foreign objects it becomes at risk of remaining in or being drawn to human-populated environments. This is because over-exposure to humans, foreign manmade objects, and unfamiliar foods can cause the rehabilitated animal to become tamer towards humans.This can increase the possibility of death or starvation in the wild if the animal becomes dependent or familiar to people, places, or things.

Animals in captivity for their lifetime will always be dependent on humans for survival, they will always interact with them. Because these animals are unfit to be released back into the wild (due to mental/ physical injuries or socialization) they can be exposed to more unnatural environments and devices while under the care of professionals.