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8

Integrating Training into Animal Husbandry
Marty Sevenich‐MacPhee

This chapter will discuss how to integrate When told I had to choose, I felt backed into
training into your animal husbandry pro­ a corner and started to negotiate my options.
gramme and will include some practical con­ How many toe nails? How much hair? It turns
siderations for this process. I say integrate, out that they were playing a game, which
but perhaps a better term is recognition, as poses choices, called ‘Would You Rather’. You
training is happening all the time. Animal may be asking yourself what this story has to
learning, in fact, is impossible to prevent. A do with integrating training into animal hus­
responsible zoo professional not only recog­ bandry. Well, it seems that many times the
nises this feature of the animals in the collec­ opportunity to train option is put to a team
tion but plans and properly directs this like an unsavoury choice in the ‘Would You
learning according to each animal’s need. Rather’ game. ‘We are going to train our ani­
mals’ is so often sprung onto a team with
breathless excitement and with the expecta­
8.1 Husbandry Buy‐in tion that everyone will magically want to
come along with the vision or risk not being
When interacting with a living being, part of the team. Instead, you will probably
whether it is an animal or another person, be met with a variety of reactions when your
you have to make yourself open to, flexible new programme concept is launched with
with, and able to react to the current cir­ your team because people inevitably have
cumstance and environment in which you varying levels of experience with training,
are placed. You need the ability to take comfort with programme change, and even
in information and respond to questions levels of trust with their peers or manage­
posed to you. With that in mind, I ask you ment. When hearing about new programme
this question: expectations, some people may feel backed
into a corner, unsure, uninformed, or fearful
Would you rather eat oatmeal with toe and, in turn, may try to shut down the change
nails in it, or eat a hair sandwich? or negotiate its terms. On the other hand,
some people may be excited to participate,
This was the crazy question my kids posed but unsure of what it means for them, and
to me when I picked them up from school some may be gung‐ho. Some may want to
one day. They burst into the car, breathless participate but feel that training is an indi­
with excitement, and awaited my answer. vidual venture and will want to participate on
I am not sure how you would respond to their own terms. Regardless, lack of clarity
this question, but my answer was ‘neither’. within the team from the inception of the

Zoo Animal Learning and Training, First Edition. Edited by Vicky A. Melfi, Nicole R. Dorey, and Samantha J. Ward.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Published 2020 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.