Page 189 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

8.6 Facilities 161

VetBooks.ir through doors, into chutes and approach position so you can experience the equip­
ment and requirements of the goal behav­
training panels with much less effort and
stress and more safely for all involved. For
chutes, under an X‐ray, having an ultrasound,
many, animal facilities may need to be retro­ iour, as this can be very useful. Crawling into
fitted to provide proper comfort and access stepping onto the scale platform, etc., will
for the animals. Depending on the species, give you more insight into the necessary goal
individual temperament and a host of other behaviour and what will be expected of the
factors, the design of your facility will dictate training programme. Consider the following:
if your animal will be in a space that will facil­ do lights and shadows come into the chute?
itate training or hinder it. In addition to the Is there a flashing light or buzz when the X‐
facility layout, extra attention should be given ray machine is turned on? How much pres­
to where teams place themselves, how they sure will the animal feel on its skin when the
move, the noise they make, where they place ultrasound is given (Figure 8.4)? Is the scale
their equipment, and other environmental slippery? Does anything make a sound or
stimuli they may use in the animal’s world wiggle? Can the end be pulled off of the tar­
(facility). Observing the animal’s behaviour get? Is it safe if the animal is able to touch the
throughout the day and in all different situa­ target? The animal should not be the first to
tions can allow a team to recognise behav­ learn the answers to these questions. Smells
ioural signs of comfort; however, this does that are medicinal or from other animals on
not suggest that animals should be trained in equipment can also be a distraction, so con­
sterile environments, or that animals should sider olfactory cues, as well. It is the respon­
not be desensitised and habituated to envi­ sibility of the team to know as much about
ronmental stimuli. There are many animals the training requirements as possible before
that may easily tolerate a lot of motion, the animal is involved. The animal will be far
sound, smells, and novelty and remain calm more sensitive than you and your team, but
and focused on training. It is necessary to be the process is still helpful.
aware of individual animal’s needs and the Researching facility designs that others
effect the surroundings can have on an ani­ have used is good practice. Having the designs
mal’s ability to learn. from other institutions and their training
Care should be taken when introducing experiences may save you time and money.
anything new to an animal and within its Most individuals are very willing to share this
environment (facility). Certain husbandry information, and there is a lot of information
behaviours may require equipment for train­ available on facility design on the ZooLex
ing and final implementation of the behav­ website (www.zoolex.org). For chutes and
iour. Individual animals may have very crates, some animals may step more readily
different reactions to the same item. When into an open mesh crate, whilst, for other ani­
introducing ultrasound gel to a group of mals, the opposite is true. Facility designs do
gorillas, for example, one gorilla accepted it not have to be very expensive to work well for
readily, one backed off, another inspected it animals and teams. The lattice work ramp
closely for a long period before acceptance for the cownose rays mentioned earlier was
and yet another continually ate the gel when picked up at a local hardware store and cheap
it was placed on the body. It is important to to purchase and install. In another example, a
have a lengthy discussion with the veterinar­ wooden training panel for hoofstock was
ian prior to training and get as much infor­ made, which was very functional for the ani­
mation as possible from them about what is mals and the team referred to it as ‘the lemon­
needed and a description of the goal behav­ ade stand’. That particular team liked the
iours so that an appropriate training pro­ wooden design as much as their more expen­
gramme can be created for an animal. If it sively built‐in chute. They needed both the
can be done, put yourself in the animal’s ‘lemonade stand’ and the expensive chute for