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12

Training Animals in Captivity or the Wild, so They Can
Return to the Wild
Jonathan Webb

12.1 Introduction One solution to this problem is to train
animals prior to reintroducing them to the
The earth is currently experiencing an wild. Training can be done in captivity, in
unprecedented extinction crisis. To conserve semi‐natural arenas at the release site, and
threatened species, many zoos and wildlife can also be done post‐reintroduction (Beck
conservation organisations maintain captive et al. 1994). Environmental enrichment can
breeding programmes, or maintain animals play a key role in preparing captive reared
in the wild in predator free refuges. The goal animals for release to the wild (Reading et al.
of these programmes is to provide an insur- 2013). Ideally, enrichment should be provided
ance population against extinction, and to animals early in life, when learning is most
ultimately, to provide a source of animals for effective, and under appropriate conditions
reintroduction to the wild once the threaten- (i.e. in the presence of older relatives or social
ing processes have been identified and group members, parents, with appropriate
removed (Kleiman 1989). However, captive food, etc.). If enrichment occurs in captivity,
reared animals often lack appropriate skills the conditions in captivity should mimic the
that they need to survive in the wild. Such conditions experienced at the release sites.
skills include locomotion (climbing, crawl- Alternatively, animals can be maintained in
ing, or flying), interacting with conspecifics, caged areas in the wild prior to release, to
finding suitable shelter sites, finding and pro- allow them to develop important social, sen-
cessing food, and identifying and responding sory, food gathering, and locomotor skills
appropriately to predators (Shepherdson (Reading et al. 2013). The importance of envi-
1994; Reading et al. 2013). Consequently, the ronmental enrichment for learning life skills
survival of captive‐born animals is often sig- is discussed in Chapter 6, and will therefore
nificantly lower than wild‐born animals fol- not be discussed further here.
lowing release to the wild (Griffith et al. 1989;
Beck et al. 1994; Fischer and Lindenmayer
2000; McCleery et al. 2013). Clearly, the sig- 12.2 Teaching Animals
nificant investment of money, time, and to Develop Hunting Skills
energy by zoos and wildlife institutions that
carry out captive breeding programmes is There is increasing evidence that juveniles
wasted if the released animals fail to survive of many carnivores progressively learn
in the wild. hunting skills during growth and development

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.