Posts Tagged ‘Training’

Apr
23

A Day in the Life of Cali the Sea Lion

Posted by in Enrichment: Keeping it Interesting,Mammals: Our Furry (and Hairy!) Friends,Sea Lions,Training

This post is written by Alicia Kemery, Sea Lion Keeper, through the eyes of Cali, one of the Houston Zoo’s resident sea lions.

Kamia, my sea lion sister, and I are early risers. We are up and swimming around before the sun rises and our keepers arrive. Our male sea lion, Rockie, on the other hand, prefers to lounge around behind the scenes. Sometimes we sleep outside on exhibit, and sometimes behind the scenes in our bedroom…I just go with the flow because that’s just how I am.

Yep, it’s me – Cali!

When our keepers arrive, they always check in on us and say good morning.  Our keepers change things on us all the time: we never know if they are going to clean our exhibit first, play music, give us enrichment, or do class time first. I really get into class time & enrichment! Enrichment is like recess; it’s anything that changes our environment…and that we typically play with. My favorite enrichment is ice, but Ozarka bottles with fish & fish pops are a close second. There’s lots of other enrichment too, like bubbles, water play, toys, scents, music…the list is endless!

When I’m in class, I get to play with the keepers and learn things too. Sometimes I go into the keeper area and give kisses, hop up on the cart, learn a new behavior, work on research, play & goof off, and do husbandry behaviors too.

For those of you who don’t know what a husbandry behavior is, I will school you. It’s a medical behavior or any behavior that helps them take better care of us. They brush our teeth, look into our eyes with flashlights and they will listen to us breathe with a stethoscope. They’ve been getting us more comfortable with more complicated behaviors too, like x-rays, taking blood, and ultrasounds. These behaviors are highly positive and I will tell you why…for anyone who knows me, I’m a “wiggle worm!” So, the keepers’ give me a bunch of food and play with me for being still. They get really excited which makes it fun for me.

The vets are also very nice and feed me too. I like all the subjects in class because I get lots of fish, but most of all, play time with the keepers. I really enjoy interacting with them and seeing what crazy things I can get them to do…they think they’re training me, but really, I am training them…it’s great! They all love us very much. I’ve heard them say they spend more time with us than their own kids.

Check me out! I know how to recycle and help teach others too.

After the shows and class time, the keepers start wrapping things up for the day because they go home to their human companions. We will typically swim and play for a couple more hours before snuggling up for bedtime. Some people don’t know this, but we sleep on land and can be out of water for 8 plus hours at a time.

Oh! That reminds me…sometimes we take naps underwater. Guests always get worried… it’s okay! We can hold our breath for up to 20 minutes! So, sometimes we will lie on top of the drain or under a pipe to make it easier to stay at the bottom of the pool then snooze for a little bit. Cool, huh?

Speaking of all of you, our guests, we enjoy people watching and warming your hearts. So, please come by and visit us; we would love to see you! Well, that’s all I can think of for the moment. So, on that note, I’m going to go see what my keepers are up to. See you later!

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Sep
19

How to Train Your Rhino

Posted by in African Forest,Rhinos,Spotlight on Species

This post written by Tim Junker & Jessica Sigle

A rhino opens his mouth for keepers to take a look inside.

The Houston Zoo’s three rhinos came to us straight out of Africa without knowing any trained behaviors or even their own names.  It became critically important to get these animals to at least come over to us when called, otherwise no training could proceed.  It didn’t take long for us to find that alfalfa was their favorite treat.  Many other captive rhinos enjoy more trainer-friendly chopped produce items such as apples, carrots, or sweet potatoes, but ours just wanted the hay.  Once they associated us with alfalfa, we quickly made friends.

Some of the most important behaviors that these animals needed to learn were simple body positions.  I’m not talking “downward facing dog” or the “lotus pose,” but instead “come here,” “lean in,” and “back up.”  These uncomplicated maneuvers offer keepers the ability to examine the rhinos from any angle upon request and treat any potential wounds.  This is very important for animals that spend some of their free time sparring with each other using their sharp horns.

A keeper engaging in target training.

A behavior that we find to be of great use is to “target.”  This is used by many animals all over the zoo to bring them to a certain location on cue.  Often a target is a ball on a stick or some variation of that, which the animal is trained to touch a part of their body to (usually their nose) in exchange for a reward.  With this behavior trained, the rhinos can be moved anywhere in the exhibit or holding area that the keepers can reach a target to.

Keepers drawing blood from a rhino’s ear.

With the basics now trained, we are able to move on with other, more complex behaviors; such as blood draws.  For many people this is the moment they dread most in a doctor’s visit.  For the rhinos, a slight ear twitch is usually the only reaction that they have.  Twice a week, we collect blood from the two female rhinos and twice a month for the male.  Our rhinos are still young, so we collect the blood to monitor the progesterone levels of the females so we will know when they begin to cycle and become receptive to breeding.  Blood is collected from their large ear veins into glass viles and examined in the zoo’s vet clinic or sent off to an outside lab for more specialized tests.  If any of the rhinos appear to be ill, we can easily collect blood to check for infection.

Another behavior currently in training is to get the rhinos to accept a toenail trim.  In general, rhinos need little in the way of foot work, but there may be occasions down the road which will require us to address an immediate concern.  We hope that once trained, the rhinos will lift up each of their feet and place them on a block so that the nails can be filed and the bottom of the foot can be examined.  With some of the basic  behaviors already trained, the rhinos will likely be very accepting of these more complex behaviors.

The relationships that we build during  these  many training sessions makes day-to-day care of the animals far simpler. The benefits gained from cooperative animals makes for a virtually stress free environment.  On September 22 and 23, the Houston Zoo is celebrating World Rhino Days.  We invite you to come join us to learn more about how we train and care for these amazing animals and what you can do to help these endangered species.

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Jun
19

Our Sea Lions Have Moved! (Just for a bit)

Posted by in Animal News & Updates,Sea Lions,Zoo News

At the Houston Zoo, we are constantly working to improve our facilities for both the guests and animals. We put an immense amount of consideration into providing the most comfortable and natural living conditions possible. In the coming weeks, you may notice that our sea lions are missing! Fear not, the sea lions have made a temporary move from their exhibit so that we may make some very important enhancements to their area.

Because of the work being done in the sea lion area, it was necessary to move the sea lions away from the construction. The three sea lions will be residing in a specialized space inside of our veterinary clinic, located across the Zoo. As easy as it is to say that they are now moved over to their temporary home, it was not so easy in practice.

After learning about the renovations, our incredible keepers had a very short time to plan, practice, and execute the plan to safely and comfortably move the sea lions. When moving an animal of this size, every detail must be strategically planned before any training begins. Timing, social behavior, back-up plans, safety, and animal comfort are just a few of the many considerations that went into our move of the sea lions. The primary goal was for the entire event to be as minimally stressful on the animals as possible. This goal was to be the foundation around which all other planning would occur.

Our sea lion keepers spent countless hours deepening their relationships with the sea lions as they introduced a specialized cart that would eventually be the ride to their location during exhibit renovations. It can take years for an animal to learn an activity of this nature. Our keepers had four months to teach and develop this behavior.


At first, familiarity was key. Helping the sea lions understand that the cart was a safe place for them would reduce stress and allow them to relax during the ride. Soon, they were practicing getting on and off without the cart going anywhere. After this, it was time for test runs! One at a time, the sea lions would get on the cart, and our keepers would take a short practice lap with them to solidify confidence. This activity was repeated multiple times over a number of days. As the days passed with more practice, the official moving day had arrived! It was finally time for all that training to be put to the test….

We are extremely happy to announce that all three sea lions have safely and comfortably arrived at their summer home! We look forward to the completion of the exhibit renovations and we will keep you updated as we near the conclusion of the exhibit updates. Stay tuned for more!

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Jun
15

Red Panda Ultrasound

Posted by in Animal News & Updates,Behind the Scenes,Mammals: Our Furry (and Hairy!) Friends,Natural Encounters

While visiting the Houston Zoo you may have had an opportunity to view the occasional animal training session. Training can be observed daily during our Sea Lion shows and Elephant baths, but did you may also see it happening in any of the animal sections of the zoo? A vast majority of the training takes place behind the scenes and it is critical for helping us to take better care of the animals that live here.

The PVC perch that was made to help orient Keti for the ultrasound.

For the past six months, keepers on the Natural Encounters team have been working with Keti, a female red panda, to train her for voluntary ultrasound. This way we will be able to easily determine if she is pregnant and monitor the development of her cub(s). To begin this process, keepers had to train Keti to accept them touching her on her back and belly. Wild animals are not usually tolerant of being touched, and a high level of trust needs to be established between the keeper and animal. Once this behavior was established, keepers progressively added in all the other factors that might be involved in an ultrasound procedure.

Mock up of a portable ultrasound machine to be used in training.

Members of the veterinary team came by so Keti could learn they were friendly treat dispensers. Practice ultrasound equipment was fabricated from cardboard boxes, aquarium tubing and the casing of a tube of deodorant! A PVC perch was made which would help Keti line up into the perfect position to obtain a great ultrasound image. One by one, Keti was introduced to these items and learned to associate them with treats. It’s a slow but effective process. Below, you can see the results of six months of hard work.

 

This video was taken at her third ever ultrasound exam. Although we have not yet seen a fetal image, we will continue to monitor her weekly and keep our fingers crossed.

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Sep
14

Chimp Enrichment: Blankets,Termite Mounds and Painting! Oh My!!!

Posted by in Chimpanzees,Enrichment: Keeping it Interesting,Events

If you have visited the chimps in the African Forest at the Houston Zoo, chances are you’ve seen them toting around blankets or resting with them in the hammocks.  “Why in the world would a chimpanzee have a blanket?” you may be wondering.  Well, because they like them, that’s why!  Our chimps grew up having blankets to sleep with and to play with, and this affinity has carried over into adulthood.  Blankets are comfy, they smell nice (the keepers launder them regularly), they keep you warm in winter and sometimes, they have treats hidden inside them.  Who doesn’t enjoy a blankie?

Annie (on the ground) and Sally (in the hammock) enjoy their blankets

Sometimes, just to make it interesting, the keepers hide food in a folded blanket, or spread food out on it for a picnic.  A dash of perfume or essential oils makes it even more intriguing.

Blankets are just one of the many types of enrichment we use to keep the chimps engaged and to encourage the expression of  natual behaviors.  “What kind of ‘natural’ behavior can a blanket encourage?”, you are asking yourself.  Chimpanzees, as well as other apes, are nest-builders.  Meaning that whenever and wherever they rest, they will build a “nest” for themselves out of whatever materials are at hand.  In the wild this may be leaves, branches, grasses or even entire small tree limbs.  Often these nests are high in trees to avoid predators.  They rarely use the same nest twice and, except for infants, each chimp makes his or her own nest.  Can you think of a better material for making a nest than a blanket?  Me neither.

 “So what other types of enrichment do the chimps get?”, you are now asking.  You certainly are full of questions today!  Well, since this is one of my favorite subjects, I’ll tell you.

One of the most remarkable discoveries in the field of animal behavior was the observation in 1960 that wild chimpanzees make and use tools.  Previously, it was thought that only human beings were capable of this.  There are many ways in which chimps use tools, but one of the most well-known is using grass stems or sticks to “fish” for termites.  (Click this link for more info on termite fishing.)  Our chimps are not used to eating termites, but they do love a sweet snack, so we load our termite mound replica with semi-liquid food that might be sweet one day, or savory the next.  We try to keep it interesting and different each day.  The only way the chimps can reach their treat is to fish for it using whatever they can find, usually bamboo sticks.  This built-in innovative enrichment device never fails to captivate chimpanzees and guests alike.

Above you can see the chimps using the termite mound replica (clockwise from the top: Mac, Lulu, Willie, Riley and Annie). Guests can see, through the window on their side, what the chimps are fishing for inside the mound.

Being intelligent and curious, chimps love to investigate and manipulate objects.  They especially love cardboard and paper that can be torn up and rearranged to their liking. Cardboard boxes can hide food or treats and then be used for nesting when the food is gone.  Big ones like refrigerator boxes make great forts. (I bet you’ve done this, too, haven’t you?) This type of enrichment is usually reserved for the off-exhibit holding area as it can create quite a mess.

Not all enrichment has to encourage “wild” behaviors; Sometimes it is just something the animal finds interesting and fun. For great apes especially, one such behavior is painting.  Keepers generally hold the canvas with paint on it and hand the animal a paintbrush. Participation in this activity is completely voluntary, but we find the chimps rarely turn down the opportunity to smear the paint around on the canvas… and then eat some of it.  Don’t worry, it’s all non-toxic.  And apparently delicious, though I have not tried it myself.

Charlie working on his masterpiece. And having a paint snack. Bonus!

 For chimps, though, the ultimate enrichment is other chimps.  By nature chimpanzees are gregarious and have incredibly complex social lives.  Daily, they must negotiate their relationships with each other: cementing friendships and alliances, squabbling over food or toys, resolving conflicts and angling for a higher position on the social ladder.  Our group of five males and five females are incredibly interesting to watch and learn about.  They may just be a great source of enrichment for you!

Written by Judy McAuliffe
All photos by Ron Santos

Enrichment Day at the Houston Zoo is Saturday, September 24th.  This is a great opportunity to come and join in the fun.  Come out and see all of the animals enjoying special enrichment, hear keeper chats and loads of  fun games for kids of all ages!  Enrichment Day celebrates the meaning and joy of enriching our animals and visitors!

Find your favorite animals and see what they’re wishing for at Amazon.com. Then just sit back, shop, click and send your animal of choice a wonderful gift to enrich their life!  They really do appreciate it and so does the Houston Zoo!

 

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Aug
18

Primate Enrichment: It’s Never a Dull Moment!

Posted by in Enrichment: Keeping it Interesting,Events,Primates

In the Primate section at the Houston Zoo, we have a multitude of different animals to enrich (including some non-primates!)  Creating work and play for our collection is a big part of what we do every day.  Our challenge as keepers and managers is to find, make or build various objects to manipulate and investigate that our monkeys, apes and others will enjoy.   You can find some of items we use at Amazon.com.   From boxes to shredded paper and from pine bark mulch to wood shavings, we are always looking for materials that our animals might like to tear up or forage through.  Our goals are for animals to behave the way they do in nature: working to find food, making a nest, or just plain having fun.  So remember the next time you see Bobby the mandrill reading through that magazine, he’s not just looking for the latest trends, he’s looking to see if his keeper put a special treat in between the pages!   Or like Jambi babirusa below working the barrel to get the very last treat out to enjoy!

 

Enrichment Day at the Houston Zoo is Saturday, September 24th.  This is a great opportunity to come and join in the fun.   Come out and see all of the animals enjoying special enrichment, hear keeper chats and loads of  fun games for kids of all ages!  Enrichment Day celebrates the meaning and joy of enriching our animals and visitors!

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Aug
28

Meet the Staff: Susan Shepard

Posted by in Carnivores: Spots, Stripes and Sharp Teeth!,Featured,Mammals: Our Furry (and Hairy!) Friends,Meet the Staff

Susan Shepard

Hometown:  Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, CA (Oceanside)

Department/Title: Carnivore Keeper

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo?: 8 years

How long have you been in the your field?: Total of 11 years – I worked at the Topeka Zoo for 2 ½ years

Animals I train: Patty (Spectacled Bear); Kadu (Leopard); Uzima (one of newest female Lions); Taji (Anatolian Shepherd)

Favorite animal: Spectacled Bears – bears in general!

Animals at home: I have a Blue and Gold Macaw, 1 dog and 2 cats.

Special interests/hobbies: Knitting, reading, hiking, working with Rhodesian Ridgeback and Anatolian Shepherd rescue groups. I also volunteer at a low cost spay/neuter clinic in La Marque.

 

Spectacled Bear

What made you want to work at a zoo?:

Initially I wanted to be a vet but by the time I would have gotten accepted, I would have had to go to college for 8 years and didn’t want to commit the time. I also knew that I did not want to work with livestock animals as a career. One day a woman from Cat Tales, a private facility in Spokane, WA that specializes in cats, came to the university and did a presentation about cats and zoo keeping. She brought one of their leopards and took him out for part of the presentation. After talking with her I thought Zoo Keeping would be fun to do as a career. I did some research, decided that it was something I wanted to do and switched my major to Zoology.

Education/training: Bachelor of Science Zoology, emphasis on Animal Care from Washington State University and a Certificate in Zoo Keeping from Cat Tales Zoological Training Center.

Advice to anyone wanting to enter your field: Be prepared for a lot of hard work and don’t get discouraged if you don’t get a job right away! Getting a job takes a lot of luck and good timing. You have to work for it and be persistent! If possible, take courses in psychology, training workshops, horticulture, and public speaking.

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Aug
21

Introducing Penelope and Olivia-Guinea Hog Piglets at the Houston Zoo!

Posted by in Animal News & Updates,Births and Arrivals - New Animals!,Children's Zoo,Mammals: Our Furry (and Hairy!) Friends,Training,Zoo News

 
Penelope (right) and Olivia enjoy snuggling together, even on hot summer days!

Guinea Hog piglets. Just saying that now brings a huge smile to my face, and I’m not the only one.  Our new girls have charmed every person-young or old, zookeeper or not-that has laid eyes on them.  They now have adorable names to match their very individual personalities: Penelope and Olivia.  Named after two famous piglets from children’s story books, Olivia was named such for her dainty, princess-like personality.  Penelope, on the other hand, goes by the nickname “bulldozer”, always trying to push her way to the center of attention. If these first few weeks of Penelope and Olivia being on exhibit has taught us anything, it is definitely that piglets have a TON of energy!  These girls seem to be on the move the majority of the day.  Running, chasing, bouncing off of each other, training, climbing in water bowls and searching for snacks in the dirt sure takes a lot of energy!  Even eating is a mini-marathon, each piglet trying to play and eat at the same time.  And when they are tuckered out they find a corner to snuggle in, sometimes nose to nose, other times side by side.

Play or eat? Decisions, decisions.

Even the other animals who live nearby are entertained by their antics.  The first few days on exhibit piqued everyone’s interest and nearly every move they made was being carefully watched.  Crowds of goats gathered at the fence, each one trying to get a good look at the new additions.  The Zebus called out, seeming to wonder why the attention was not centered on them, and the Llama couldn’t decide if the piglets were friend or foe.  A week later, everyone is content with Penelope and Olivia being their new neighbors.   When it is time for a training session, the excitement is easy to see.  Penelope and Olivia can’t get enough affection and attention, and they usually greet their trainers with a grunt or squeal.  According to trainer Amy Lavergne, Penelope and Olivia’s favorite reward seems to be strawberries, although being pigs they will accept almost any fruit or vegetable we give them!  Pigs are not picky.  One of the girls’ favorite behaviors to work on is paint, where the trainer applies non-toxic paint to their snouts and lets them go wild on a canvas to create their own masterpiece.  Ok, maybe they don’t go wild yet, but they’re working on it.  And just like your kids at home, they do not like cleaning up!  Running around with a bright pink nose is much more fun than taking a bath.  Before too long they will be learning to walk on harnesses to get some exercise and excitement outside of their exhibit.

Candace applies animal friendly paint to Olivia’s snout, which she will use as her paintbrush.

Olivia makes her first swipe onto the canvas.

She seems to be catching on to the fun of being an animal artist!

She even managed to get some good snout prints!

A completed painting by Olivia

Next up is bath time to clean all that paint off!

For now, Penelope and Olivia are very busy exploring, playing, tasting new foods, learning new behaviors and getting used to their daily routine.  They are absolutely adorable and quite rambunctious, qualities that are sure to make them a Houston Zoo favorite for many years to come!   Be sure to visit the John P. McGovern Children’s Zoo during your next visit to see Penelope and Olivia up close! For more adorable pictures of Penelope and Olivia visit the Houston Zoo’s Photo Albums!

To learn more about Olivia books by Ian Falconer, visit http://www.oliviathepiglet.com/. Visit http://www.nicolerubel.com/nicolebooks.htm to learn more about Penelope Pig books by Nicole Rubel.

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