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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!
This week, I could barely contain my excitement as I was introduced to the San Diego Zoo’s Behavior Husbandry Manager, Nicki Boyd. In simple terms, the word husbandry refers to the care of the animals, which includes feeding, cleaning and healthcare. So that being said, behavior husbandry focuses on training animals to partake in specific behaviors; often times, for medical purposes. Throughout her career, Ms. Boyd has trained around 200 animals! Prior to meeting Ms. Boyd, I thought training animals was used solely to entertain incoming guests—little did I know, training is actually used to better an animal’s well being and welfare.
Ms. Boyd gave a presentation titled “Training 101”, which is also the presentation she uses when training new keepers and educators. More specifically, the presentation focused on the training method known as operant conditioning. While the term operant conditioning refers to a multitude of training methods, the Zoo utilizes the method positive reinforcement most frequently. Ms. Boyd explained that positive reinforcement is when an animal exhibits the behavior in question, that animal is then rewarded with some sort of positive stimuli. These positive reinforcements can be anything from a treat, like a blood flavored popsicle, to more of a tactile reward. This practice of using operant conditioning with an emphasis in positive reinforcement yields quicker results and strengthens the relationship between trainer and animal.
Throughout Ms. Boyd’s presentation, I noticed a lot of similarities between animal training and our own lives. In order for humans and animals to develop, they must learn to overcome various challenges they may face throughout their lifetimes. When we, humans, are growing up, our parents are very invested in helping us learn how to overcome these challenges. As children, we are just beginning to understand the world around us, so our parents do whatever they can to guide us in the right direction. Similarly, Ms. Boyd helps animals at the Zoo overcome challenges they face, relating to medical behaviors, in order to better their overall welfare.
Once, Ms. Boyd had to train a panda to take frequent blood pressure tests, and she found that the best way to keep the panda still throughout the whole process was to continuously offer him treats. As I was listening to Ms. Boyd, I immediately made a connection to my own childhood. For instance, I used to be deathly afraid of shots, and there was only one way my parents could get me to stop screaming at the top of my lungs. Once they said, “We’ll get you ice cream if you sit still”, my fear of needles evaporated knowing I'd soon be getting a sweet treat.
Sometimes if the training session isn’t successful, or the animal seems to be getting frustrated, Ms. Boyd and her team will implement “timeouts”. Just like children, animals need breaks from something that may be challenging or difficult. If Ms. Boyd has trouble teaching a certain behavior to an animal, not only will she get frustrated, but the animal may as well. Her frustration stems from the animal’s inability to complete the task she is trying to teach, and the animals frustration stems from not knowing what Ms. Boyd wants it to do. The best way to clear the frustration in the air is through implementing breaks. Ms. Boyd eventually revisits the animal after their “break”, and she attempts to teach the animal the behavior once again. Growing up, my parents frequently tried their best to help me with my homework. Whether it be adding fractions or spelling big words, they often got frustrated trying to help me understand, and I felt the same frustration trying to learn from them. After many minutes of deliberation, my parents decided the best thing to do was to clear our heads, or take a “break” from homework. Once a few minutes passed, we would try again and were usually much more successful.
After Ms. Boyd had finished her presentation, I was in awe. After talking and listening to Ms. Boyd, my outlook on training has been completely changed. Now, I have a much better understanding as to why detailed training programs benefit animals in the long run.
Chloe, Real World Team
Winter Session, 2017
This week, I could barely contain my excitement as I was introduced to the San Diego Zoo’s Behavior Husbandry Manager, Nicki Boyd. In simple terms, the word husbandry refers to the care of the animals, which includes feeding, cleaning and healthcare. So that being said, behavior husbandry focuses on training animals to partake in specific behaviors; often times, for medical purposes. Throughout her career, Ms. Boyd has trained around 200 animals! Prior to meeting Ms. Boyd, I thought training animals was used solely to entertain incoming guests—little did I know, training is actually used to better an animal’s well being and welfare.
Ms. Boyd gave a presentation titled “Training 101”, which is also the presentation she uses when training new keepers and educators. More specifically, the presentation focused on the training method known as operant conditioning. While the term operant conditioning refers to a multitude of training methods, the Zoo utilizes the method positive reinforcement most frequently. Ms. Boyd explained that positive reinforcement is when an animal exhibits the behavior in question, that animal is then rewarded with some sort of positive stimuli. These positive reinforcements can be anything from a treat, like a blood flavored popsicle, to more of a tactile reward. This practice of using operant conditioning with an emphasis in positive reinforcement yields quicker results and strengthens the relationship between trainer and animal.
Throughout Ms. Boyd’s presentation, I noticed a lot of similarities between animal training and our own lives. In order for humans and animals to develop, they must learn to overcome various challenges they may face throughout their lifetimes. When we, humans, are growing up, our parents are very invested in helping us learn how to overcome these challenges. As children, we are just beginning to understand the world around us, so our parents do whatever they can to guide us in the right direction. Similarly, Ms. Boyd helps animals at the Zoo overcome challenges they face, relating to medical behaviors, in order to better their overall welfare.
Once, Ms. Boyd had to train a panda to take frequent blood pressure tests, and she found that the best way to keep the panda still throughout the whole process was to continuously offer him treats. As I was listening to Ms. Boyd, I immediately made a connection to my own childhood. For instance, I used to be deathly afraid of shots, and there was only one way my parents could get me to stop screaming at the top of my lungs. Once they said, “We’ll get you ice cream if you sit still”, my fear of needles evaporated knowing I'd soon be getting a sweet treat.
Sometimes if the training session isn’t successful, or the animal seems to be getting frustrated, Ms. Boyd and her team will implement “timeouts”. Just like children, animals need breaks from something that may be challenging or difficult. If Ms. Boyd has trouble teaching a certain behavior to an animal, not only will she get frustrated, but the animal may as well. Her frustration stems from the animal’s inability to complete the task she is trying to teach, and the animals frustration stems from not knowing what Ms. Boyd wants it to do. The best way to clear the frustration in the air is through implementing breaks. Ms. Boyd eventually revisits the animal after their “break”, and she attempts to teach the animal the behavior once again. Growing up, my parents frequently tried their best to help me with my homework. Whether it be adding fractions or spelling big words, they often got frustrated trying to help me understand, and I felt the same frustration trying to learn from them. After many minutes of deliberation, my parents decided the best thing to do was to clear our heads, or take a “break” from homework. Once a few minutes passed, we would try again and were usually much more successful.
After Ms. Boyd had finished her presentation, I was in awe. After talking and listening to Ms. Boyd, my outlook on training has been completely changed. Now, I have a much better understanding as to why detailed training programs benefit animals in the long run.
Chloe, Real World Team
Winter Session, 2017
