Page 350 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

322 13 Last but in Fact Most Importantly … Health and Safety

VetBooks.ir Table 13.1 (Continued)

Specific training
Region legislation/guidelines Details
United Association of Zoos & The institution should follow a formal written animal training
States Aquariums (AZA) programme that facilitates husbandry, science, and veterinary
Accreditation Guidelines procedures and enhances the overall health and well‐being of the
animals. Explanation: An animal training programme should be
based on current animal training best practices in the zoological
field and should include the following elements: i) goal setting
(what behaviours to be trained, what species/individuals of
priority), ii) planning (process for developing and approving
training plans), and iii) documentation (record of success).
Elephant specific standard – all institutions must have an
elephant training programme in place which allows elephant
care providers and veterinarians the ability to accomplish all
necessary elephant care and management procedures. Each
institution will adopt and implement an institutional training
methodology that promotes the safest environment for
elephant care professionals and visitors and ensures high
quality care and management of the elephants for routine
husbandry, medical management, physical well‐being and
overall elephant welfare. Institutions must train their elephant
care professionals to manage and care for elephants with
barriers and/or restraints in place that provide employee safety.
Information compiled by Samantha Ward and provided by the following: Samantha Ward (UK, Europe, New
Zealand, Canada, India, Japan, and South Africa); Tim Sullivan (USA); Willem Manansang (Indonesia); Lester Lopez
(Philippines); Nick Boyle (Australia); and Catalina Gomez (Colombia).

risky endeavour for some animals. Placing feeding that are widely used such as the use
food reinforcement directly in the mouth or of commercially available, long‐handled
hand of a waiting animal creates the potential tongs or custom‐made ‘meat‐sticks’, which
for injury of the zoo professional. For provide a safe extension to the zoo profes-
instance, many zoos now have policies pro- sional’s hand to safely deliver food. The
hibiting hand‐feeding of large carnivores. installation of feeding tubes or chutes on the
Protective barriers between the animal and front of the protective barrier deposit food
zoo professional can create the illusion of safely away from the zoo professionals’ hand
safety but past incidences have proven that (Figure 13.3). These methods change the
this method can still lead to great risk for timing and position of food delivery and can
injury. Even the experienced and well‐inten- seem cumbersome at first. The added safety
tioned zoo professional can make mistakes these methods provide more than makes up
and break the plane of containment with for the initial inconvenience. The proper
their fingers. The sheer number of reinforce- conditioning and use of a bridging stimulus
ments that must be delivered through the may ensure that correct responses are rein-
barrier increases the probability that a mis- forced in a timely way and mitigate any delay
take might occur. The mouthparts of carni- in the actual food delivery.
vores are well adapted and extremely adept at
snagging and holding on to body parts such 13.6.4 Don’t Get Grabbed
as small as a fingertip or the glove that covers
it. Whether the animal does so on accident or Many of the training tools we use can inad-
on purpose, zoo professionals can find them- vertently provide an animal with a place to
selves in a terrifying situation in an instant. grab and pull the zoo professional into
There are several safer alternatives to hand harm’s way. Containers for holding food