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8.5 Active Training 159

Every team member, animal, and situation
VetBooks.ir is different, so you, the team leader, should mal or operational changes to the best of
their ability so that approximations can be
work to fully understand why a programme
might be going ‘stale’. The important thing is planned for and made.
For shifting, does the animal need to shift
to make sure that the time set aside for train­ on/off exhibit any time during the day, for
ing is being used wisely. By making the effort any of their keepers? Is there a social order
to keep team members focused and inten­ that animals have to maintain during the
tional about their actions, a culture of ongo­ shifting process? Do they need to come off
ing learning with both the animal and the exhibit immediately in the case of an emer­
team will be promoted. gency when there are distractions?
Does the husbandry or medical behaviour
(Figure 8.3) need to be done any day of the
8.5.1 When Have You Completed week, from various locations, with a diverse
Your Goal Behaviour?
set of veterinarians/technicians participating
This question seems like it should have an and requested by various keepers? Is there
easy answer … when the animal does the specialised equipment involved? Does the
behaviour under stimulus control, when the team and animals have easy access to the
animal shifts off exhibit when they hear a equipment for training? The expectations
bell, when the blood sample can be voluntar­ need to be defined and constraints identified.
ily drawn or when the hoof can be voluntarily You may find points in the approximation
trimmed. The answer actually can be more process where the animal’s behaviours may
complex. For the trained behaviour to have plateau. This lack of progression can be at
the maximum positive effect on the animal’s times when the trainer perceives that there
welfare it needs to meet the operational or may be some risk of regression in the
husbandry needs of that animal. This need behaviour being trained. In these case, con­
should be fully defined at the onset. Teams sidering taking steps such as introducing
must be able to anticipate changes in the ani­ new equipment or including another keeper,

Figure 8.3 Medical training – African lion Panthera leo trained to voluntarily accept injections.
Source: Denver Zoo.