A STUDY ON HUMAN-DIRECTED CONTRA-AGGRESSION TRAINING USING POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
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"As zookeepers, storytelling is central to our role in educating the public and inspiring a passion for animal conservation. From species facts to individual animal histories, we share narratives because we care deeply and want others to care too. Storytelling is second nature to us, but what happens when these stories influence how we interact with and train our animals? Consider Winnie, a Red River Hog hand-raised at Tanganyika due to maternal neglect. Early restrictions on her water intake, aimed at preventing bloat, led to perceived water insecurity. As an adult, she drank excessively, and her care team focused on avoiding actions that could be seen as a threat to her access to water. However, it was later suggested that her behavior might have been unintentionally reinforced, turning what we believed to be a necessity into an offered behavior. Similarly, Isis, a Reticulated Giraffe, was an ideal training subject due to her laid back nature. For years, she excelled in hoof trims and blood draws. But after injuring her foot, her behavior changed, forcing her team to reassess their approach and develop an entirely new approach to her training. These examples, and others, highlight how stories we tell about animals can shape, and sometimes hinder, training success. While narratives build connections with animals and audiences alike, they can also create biases that impact our training approaches. This raises an important question: how do we balance the value of storytelling with the need for effective and objective animal care?"
Topics: KEYWORD 1; KEYWORD 2; KEYWORD 3