Welcome to Enrichment!
SHAPE-Africa was born when Valerie Hare and Robynn Moller envisaged it in 2007 with the objective of enabling localized workshops and knowledge generation around the subject of environmental enrichment as the goal.
SHAPE-Africa has since evolved and is proud to promote the further development of the subject by developing experiences through workshops, team building and online learning to name a few.
Background & History
Valerie Hare and Karen Worley in the early 1990’s, along with other stakeholders in the USA, started The Shape of Enrichment Inc. They noticed that within the zoological community there was little interface, interaction or collaboration on the subject of environmental enrichment. Together they established a popular article magazine and the International Conference on Environmental Enrichment (ICEE).
The Shape of Enrichment (SHAPE), through Valerie, became a global success, with her traveling the globe to give workshops on the subject of enrichment. Robynn assisted Valerie in her work and became a collaborator and through them they hosted several workshops in South Africa between 2004 and 2013, including one in Uganda in 2009.
In 2009 during a stroll in Uganda, Valerie and Robynn conceptualized SHAPE-Africa. The concept being that it could run workshops locally and for Africa. Since then SHAPE-Africa has been a part of the fabric of enrichment in South Africa in particular.
Workshops have been held at;National Zoo, SeaWorld, Bloemfontein Zoo, MonteCasino, Johannesburg Zoo, Lory Park Zoo, Michell Park Zoo, Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC), Bester Birds, East London Zoo, Natal Zoo and Emerald Casino.
SHAPE-Africa has facilitated 66 workshops between 2007 and 2025.
Historically SHAPE-Africa networked with the Animal Keeper Association of Africa (2006 – 2012) as well as with the African Association of Zoo’s & Aquaria (1988 – 2025).
SHAPE-Africa is currently proactively involved with;
- The South African Animal Keepers Association (SAAKA est 2024)
- The African Association for Wildlife in Human Care (AAWHC est 2025)
- LOOP Abroad between (2019 and 2025)
- MHERA-Wellbeing (2026)
In October 2025 SHAPE-Africa was encouraged to further its exposure in the community. Along with others, it aims to develop itself as a service provider to the community.
Playing it Forward
Read more about Valerie’s legacy and the Boomer-Ball in our post here.
My Hero!
There are a few remarkable people in the world. Valerie Hare was one of them. Valerie and Karen Worley along with others started The Shape of Enrichment Inc. in the early 1990’s.
They highlighted the subject of enrichment and made it real for many. Valerie is my hero, even though she has since passed, it was through her incredible work that I learnt in 1996 about the larger world that is enrichment. The Shape of Enrichment Inc. (website here) publication on enrichment blew me away with the content of pure creativity and joy.
It was due to Valerie that I fell in love with enrichment. I have had the privilege of hosting and joining her in her workshops. Through SHAPE-Africa I also became an official Shape Instructor and since then have promoted and participated in sharing Valarie’s Legacy.
Valerie in short you are my HERO, my friend and my mentor.
In 2025 we started “playing it forward” a nod to Valerie. Through the last Boomer Ball donated to SHAPE-Africa her legacy and love for animals continues. (see the blog post about that).