Training
What is training and why is it beneficial to the animals under our care? Animals under our care are kept for many different purposes, as work-animals, pets, for food, display in zoos, research and entertainment. From the moment we place animals in captivity we are responsible for their psychological and physiological well-being, because no matter how naturalistic the artificial environment, we remove many of the choices that face animals in nature, we take control over many facets of animals’ lives. We provide medical care, food, housing, decide breeding partners and with whom to socialize.
One of the ways of defining training is teaching. Teaching animals to live in and use their environment, and to participate in their voluntary medical care to name of few of the benefits.
The use of training is a strong growing trend in zoological settings and laboratories. More and more facilities develop species specific training and enrichment programs. Training is beneficial in areas of management, enrichment and public education. It can be used to facilitate shifting animals on and off exhibit, voluntary blood-sampling, weighing, hoof trims, dental care, full-body exams, promoting exploratory behavior, exhibit use, or implementing an educational presentation. Training animals for an educational presentation is a wonderful opportunity for the public to see live animals and to learn about the animals’ species specific and appropriate behavior, it provides the animal to engage in behaviors that stimulate its senses and adaptations and at the same time it can help to pursue the key components of most zoological institutions; those being recreation, education and conservation.
AnimalConcepts can help you with the development of a personalized and species specific training program at your facility. AC can be of assistance to initiate or advance a customized training program for an interpretive keeper talk, outreach program or for research projects. AC also organizes different seminars all over the world in co-operation with animal care professionals, on request also at your facility. Please refer to the seminar page for the latest updates.
