Image
Image
Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s website!
Did you know fennec foxes like bananas? Well, I didn’t until last week. On Thursday, our group of interns witnessed first-hand the meaning of training and enrichment for the animals living at the San Diego Zoo. We met with Nicki Boyd, the Behavioral Husbandry Manager at the San Diego Zoo. We watched as she led Oringo, the fennec fox, through some basic training exercises and rewarded him with mashed bananas and mealworms. Yum! Fennec foxes are a tiny species of fox native to the Sahara desert. Fennec foxes are one of the hardest animals to train, according to Ms. Boyd, because they are so skittish. But, at only one year old, Oringo is definitely a fast learner! Oringo knows how to go to a specific location, called a “station,” how to dig, and how to touch his nose to his trainer’s palm, all on command! One day, Ms. Boyd hopes Oringo can become an Animal Ambassador at the Zoo. Animal Ambassadors serve as furry diplomats who educate the public and foster positive relationships between the animal world and humans.
Ms. Boyd manages animal training and connections at the Zoo. While the term "training" is associated with a largely negative connotation when it comes to undomesticated animals (many people think of elephants balancing on plastic balls at the circus), in reality, at the Zoo, all training programs are created to improve quality of life for the Zoo's resident animals. Training relieves stress, provides exercise and enrichment, mental and physical stimulation, creates a safe environment for the animals and the keepers, allows for proactive medical care, and enables unobtrusive behavioral research. For example, going to the Zoo hospital is incredibly stressful for the animals, so training allows veterinarians and vet technicians to perform basic procedures within the animals’ enclosures. For example, the elephants are trained to allow caretakers to trim their tusks. Elephants in managed care don’t need to use their tusks for defense or foraging, so their tusks are trimmed in order to prevent possible injury such as a tusk breaking off. Almost all animals are trained for blood draws, which occur annually. I know I hate needles, so I can’t imagine what a tiger might think of them!
Ms. Boyd and her fellow trainers primarily use food as a motivator. As part of their positive reinforcement method of training, animals are rewarded with tasty treats for completing tasks. Most animals actually want to work and earn their food! Ms. Boyd always tries to set her animals up for success. She individualizes training programs for all of her animals, and makes sure their goals are attainable and realistic. Often, animals are trained first thing in the morning so they are motivated to work for their food because they haven’t eaten breakfast yet. Animals will always be fed, regardless of how well they did during their training session; however, an animal will likely be more engaged and interested if they aren’t full and sleepy. Mendazi, one of the Zoo’s silverback gorilla, likes Kern’s Nectar juice mixed with water while he’s standing still for his routine cardiac ultra sounds. The rhinos are usually rewarded with celery, yam, and the occasional apple. It’s important to switch up the treats every now and then, so the animals are still interested in training. Additionally some animals enjoy tactile reinforcement and time with their trainer as a reward. Specifically, rhinos, pigs and tapirs love to be scratched and brushed!
Ms. Boyd, the first person to introduce a formal training curriculum at a zoo, is now the first person to have the position Behavioral Husbandry Manager. All of the Zoo’s keepers are required to go through her program. Even though, all keepers attend her program, some animals just don’t pick up on training. Marsupials, like koalas, only receive desensitization for procedures like shots because they are so difficult to train. The biggest challenge Ms. Boyd has faced was crate training the pygmy marmosets. This creature is so tiny, that everything is instinctually a threat. It took Ms. Boyd an entire year to crate train these flighty! On the other hand, most primates and bears are incredibly smart and pick up on training at the drop of a hat. Programs similar to Ms. Boyd’s are now implemented at zoos across the nation, and she travels around the globe attending conferences and teaching classes. This may come as a surprise, but humans and animals are more similar than many of us can possibly imagine. Both humans and animals experience stress, need mental stimulation, and need to exercise to stay healthy. Oringo, the Fennec fox, may be an Animal Ambassador in training, but just like us, he gets nervous in new situations and also enjoys a banana every now and then.
Glenna, Real World Team
Week Five, Winter Session 2016
Did you know fennec foxes like bananas? Well, I didn’t until last week. On Thursday, our group of interns witnessed first-hand the meaning of training and enrichment for the animals living at the San Diego Zoo. We met with Nicki Boyd, the Behavioral Husbandry Manager at the San Diego Zoo. We watched as she led Oringo, the fennec fox, through some basic training exercises and rewarded him with mashed bananas and mealworms. Yum! Fennec foxes are a tiny species of fox native to the Sahara desert. Fennec foxes are one of the hardest animals to train, according to Ms. Boyd, because they are so skittish. But, at only one year old, Oringo is definitely a fast learner! Oringo knows how to go to a specific location, called a “station,” how to dig, and how to touch his nose to his trainer’s palm, all on command! One day, Ms. Boyd hopes Oringo can become an Animal Ambassador at the Zoo. Animal Ambassadors serve as furry diplomats who educate the public and foster positive relationships between the animal world and humans.
Ms. Boyd manages animal training and connections at the Zoo. While the term "training" is associated with a largely negative connotation when it comes to undomesticated animals (many people think of elephants balancing on plastic balls at the circus), in reality, at the Zoo, all training programs are created to improve quality of life for the Zoo's resident animals. Training relieves stress, provides exercise and enrichment, mental and physical stimulation, creates a safe environment for the animals and the keepers, allows for proactive medical care, and enables unobtrusive behavioral research. For example, going to the Zoo hospital is incredibly stressful for the animals, so training allows veterinarians and vet technicians to perform basic procedures within the animals’ enclosures. For example, the elephants are trained to allow caretakers to trim their tusks. Elephants in managed care don’t need to use their tusks for defense or foraging, so their tusks are trimmed in order to prevent possible injury such as a tusk breaking off. Almost all animals are trained for blood draws, which occur annually. I know I hate needles, so I can’t imagine what a tiger might think of them!
Ms. Boyd and her fellow trainers primarily use food as a motivator. As part of their positive reinforcement method of training, animals are rewarded with tasty treats for completing tasks. Most animals actually want to work and earn their food! Ms. Boyd always tries to set her animals up for success. She individualizes training programs for all of her animals, and makes sure their goals are attainable and realistic. Often, animals are trained first thing in the morning so they are motivated to work for their food because they haven’t eaten breakfast yet. Animals will always be fed, regardless of how well they did during their training session; however, an animal will likely be more engaged and interested if they aren’t full and sleepy. Mendazi, one of the Zoo’s silverback gorilla, likes Kern’s Nectar juice mixed with water while he’s standing still for his routine cardiac ultra sounds. The rhinos are usually rewarded with celery, yam, and the occasional apple. It’s important to switch up the treats every now and then, so the animals are still interested in training. Additionally some animals enjoy tactile reinforcement and time with their trainer as a reward. Specifically, rhinos, pigs and tapirs love to be scratched and brushed!
Ms. Boyd, the first person to introduce a formal training curriculum at a zoo, is now the first person to have the position Behavioral Husbandry Manager. All of the Zoo’s keepers are required to go through her program. Even though, all keepers attend her program, some animals just don’t pick up on training. Marsupials, like koalas, only receive desensitization for procedures like shots because they are so difficult to train. The biggest challenge Ms. Boyd has faced was crate training the pygmy marmosets. This creature is so tiny, that everything is instinctually a threat. It took Ms. Boyd an entire year to crate train these flighty! On the other hand, most primates and bears are incredibly smart and pick up on training at the drop of a hat. Programs similar to Ms. Boyd’s are now implemented at zoos across the nation, and she travels around the globe attending conferences and teaching classes. This may come as a surprise, but humans and animals are more similar than many of us can possibly imagine. Both humans and animals experience stress, need mental stimulation, and need to exercise to stay healthy. Oringo, the Fennec fox, may be an Animal Ambassador in training, but just like us, he gets nervous in new situations and also enjoys a banana every now and then.
Glenna, Real World Team
Week Five, Winter Session 2016
