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Box B4

Marine Mammal Training
Sabrina Brando

Training has many benefits for captive to collaborate in their own daily care, (for
marine mammals and should be part of a example the treatment of health issues such
professional animal care programme. It facil- as sea lions and seals trained to accept eye
itates daily and regular management proce- drops to treat cataracts: Colitz et al. 2010;
dures, and allows for participation in Gage 2011), in research, education and con-
research, education and conservation pro- servation programmes (for a review see
grammes. Training and animal learning in a Kuczaj and Xitco 2002; Brando 2010).
broader sense, also offers animals more com- Initially the training of marine mammals
plexity in their environment. For example was motivated by the entertainment indus-
choice can be provided to the animals, by try to present animals performing and par-
providing them with different stimuli, like ticipating in movies and TV series. Marine
photos which represent different toys or Studios (now Marineland) in Florida was
activities, which they can then choose one of the first ‘oceanarium’ facilities hous-
between (see Figure B4.1). Furthermore, ing cetaceans and pinnipeds, starting with
instead of the trainer making all the decisions bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates) in
for the animal, the animal can be trained to 1938 (Marineland 2018). The purpose of the
indicate their preferences. For example, ani- facility at the time was to film underwater
mals can be trained to press a lever that has footage for TV series and movies. Thus dol-
been associated with different people or ani- phins were trained to preform many behav-
mals to indicate who they want to spend time iours that aren’t seen in the wild, such as
with (Adams and MacDonald 2018). This leaping through a hoop suspended above
technique can also be used for allowing the the water or jumping to touch a ball or
animal to choose a reinforcer (see Figure B4.2) behaviours performed together with the
(Fernandez et al. 2004; Gaalema et al. 2011), trainers, like rides on the back of the animal,
enrichment items (Bashaw et al. 2016; Fay and jumping over ropes together. In addi-
and Miller 2015; Mehrkam and Dorey 2014, tion to these behaviours, the facility also
2015), or even between enrichment and displayed natural behaviours such as aerial
training (Dorey et al. 2015). This box will give performances including jumps, spins, fast
a short overview of marine mammal training surface swims, and summersaults. All of
examples and opportunities. these behaviours, whether natural or unnat-
Today many different species of marine ural, are trained behaviours shaped by the
mammals are trained using positive rein- trainers who work with the animals on a
forcement techniques to enable the animals regular basis.

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.