Enrichment - where does the need for stimulation actually stem from?

It really bottles down to survival!

The wild environment of many animals are vast, complex & full of natural challenges.

To compensate for this, the brain overtime has slowly evolved to be highly driven in functions such as curiosity, problem solving & seeking out constant novel/new situations.
If an animal lacked these drives, its survival would have been threatened.

When we think of it this way, it makes sense why this drive is so inherently strong. It is hardwired into animal biology as a means of ensuring survival & remains somewhat untouched by captivity.

This especially rings true for many species of Parrot, who originate from environments which ‘force’ them to spend hours every day flying, foraging & socialising.

In addition, we can also apply this exact principle to us humans too.  Consider how difficult we all found lock down!  Back in the day of ‘the wild’ we also lived In environments which constantly challenged us & the idea of bordem likely wouldn’t even be a concept or emotion expressed when surviving in nature. 

What can we do to support this drive?

Of course the level of drive will depend on factors such as individual species, genetics & upbringing. Also there is still a lot of don’t yet know on this subject.

However, the great news is our animals can benefit vastly from many simple things we can provide at home.