Page 356 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

328 Box C1 Training Animals in a Group Setting

VetBooks.ir (a)

(b)

Figure C1.1 It is possible to train multiple animals at the same time by either spatially separating them (a) or
physically separating them (b); both of these regimes can be seen here in grey seals at the University of
Southern Denmark, Kerteminde, Denmark. Source: Kirstin Anderson‐Hansen.

3) Is there a special social situation? Is there ple, if you have a dominate male then you
a hierarchy in the group? might want to station him separately from
Since we always want to set the animals up the rest of the pack. However, if you have a
for success, it can be an advantage to respect more complicated hierarchy. For example, a
the hierarchy in the group when training group of grey seals with a dominant male, a
them together. This can be done by making dominant female, and three subordinate
sure certain individuals are spatially or females at different rankings, then we would
physically separated during the training ses- typically station the dominant male on the
sions. One technique that trainers use is sta- far right side of the group next to the domi-
tioning (training animals in different places nant female, and the most subordinate
within the enclosure using different indi- female would be stationed at the far left side
vidual stimuli (e.g. different shaped targets) with the two other females in the middle
to identify the different stations. For exam- (see Figure C1.3).