Formal Presentations Monday Abstracts
Monday Videos (Requires login)
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Under the Seas: Promoting Fish Welfare One Fish at a Time
Mr Jose Bello Disney's Animal Science and Environment Full Abstract
Behavior management approaches rooted in least intrusive, effective strategies have provided opportunities for great advancement in the care of animals in zoos and aquariums around the world. As these programs have evolved, inclusion of smaller aquatic species is beginning to emerge. This presentation aims to provide examples of smaller species of fish within our training program. Providing a least intrusive, effective strategy with the smaller members of our population, we have developed a training program involving voluntary moves in and out of habitats. As the fish learn these new skills, our aquarists have also been learning how to approach training with a new perspective. Along the way, we have learned how to prioritize training to maximize sustainability of behaviors and maximize effectiveness with resources and staffing. |
Behavior-based Management for the Biological Needs of North American Black Bears
Marie Filipek ZooTampa at Lowry Park Full Abstract
In zoological settings, North American black bears (Ursus americanus) often exhibit stereotypic behaviors, such as pacing or repetitive movements. When ZooTampa’s 1.1 rescued black bears were observed engaging in seasonal stereotypic behaviors, staff challenged themselves to look at their bear husbandry with a new perspective. By utilizing behavioral data collected in previous years, staff were able to develop and implement a behavior-based management program that focused on aligning daily husbandry, training, and enrichment with the bears' natural biological needs. This management approach was informed on the species’ five annual phases: torpor, walking hibernation, normal phase, hyperphagia and fall transition. Data collected over the last two years following the management shift has shown a noticeable decrease in the frequency of stereotypic behaviors, and an increase in the frequency of natural behaviors, such as foraging and denning. This data demonstrates that not only is a behavior-based management plan effective at mitigating stereotypic behaviors in ZooTampa’s North American black bears, but it enhanced their overall welfare by promoting natural, seasonal behaviors. |
Monitoring the Activity and Behavior of Galveston's Ghost Wolves
Josh Henderson Galveston Island Humane Society Full Abstract
The Galveston Ghost Wolves, a unique population of wild "Fancy Coyotes," possess genetic links to endangered red wolf through the presence of ghost alleles. These animals play a crucial role in Galveston's diverse ecosystem, yet their conservation presents unique challenges. This program provides and in-depth look at the history, ecological significance, and behavioral patterns of the Gost Wolves, addressing key questions: What constitutes normal and expected behavior for these animals? At what point do they transition from being a fascinating native species to a potential public concern? How can we systematically observe and interpret their behavior to promote coexistence while ensuring both public safety and wildlife conservation? Participants will be introduced to non-invasive field observation techniques, including GPS collar tracking, remote camera traps, public submitted reports, and data collection methods used in the Gulf Coast Canine Project. A special focus will be placed on understanding social structures, territorial behaviors, and interactions within their environment. By the end of the program, attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of how coyote behavior informs wildlife management strategies on Galveston Island. Additionally, the program's public education component provides both city officials and residents with essential insights into the wild canines that share our landscape, fostering informed decision-making and responsible coexistence. |
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When the Story Hurts the Journey: a Double Edged Sword in Training
Sierra Smith Tanganyika Wildlife Park Full Abstract
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? |
Putting Raptors in Their Place: Training Three Species of Vultures in a Free Flight Aviary
Brian Whaley Houston Zoo Full Abstract
The Houston Zoo’s Birds of the World is a brand new $13.5M complex that opened in August 2024 and showcases aviaries housing various species from North America, South America and the African Savanna. The African Savanna habitat features multiple large species including vultures, cranes, storks, and others, which creates a challenge in managing daily distribution of diets. The vultures have displayed dominance over other fish eaters during feeding times. With this in mind, we set out to develop a training program to include targeting, stationing, voluntary weights, kenneling, and a recall for the birds to house themselves voluntarily. Our team learned many lessons through trials and tribulations of this project. By building a strong training foundation and establishing trusting relationships between the keepers and birds, all of these trained behaviors contribute to and increase the wellbeing of all the animals in the African Savanna. |
Shaping the Shaper: A Brief History of Shaping Games
Mary E. Hunter Behavior Explorer Full Abstract
Professional animal trainers have long realized that teaching a person to shape requires more than just telling a person to reinforce successive approximations. Shaping skills require practice. To teach shaping skills to new trainers, animal trainers developed human shaping games, with the first version of the shaping game likely having been developed by the Brelands (Bailey & Bailey, 1993; Pryor, 1975). Around the same time, these games were also beginning to be used to teach university students, therapists, and teachers about shaping (Morgan, 1968, 1974). In this presentation, we will trace the history of the shaping game and discuss how animal trainers have used these games to teach shaping skills and illustrate behavior analytic concepts. In addition, we’ll look at different versions of the shaping game, including the use of a “no” signal and different procedures for delivering reinforcement. Understanding the different versions of the shaping game is important, as variations in game play affect the learning experience for both the teacher and learner and have implications for what skills are learned. |
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Parrots in the Mist:
A Data-Guided Reimagining of Ambassador Animal Enrichment and Behavior Management Jessica Washburn ABQ BioPark Full Abstract
Like many ambassador animals, those at the ABQ BioPark often live in smaller, less complex habitats, and mostly behind the scenes. While many needs are met during programs, we found that the level of engagement in their habitats was not ideal. We re-imagined our enrichment program, incorporating long-term, immersive events, free-operant approaches, and objective evaluations to create a program that encourages our animals to engage in natural behaviors, operate on their environments, and reduce undesirable behaviors. This project began with an objective look at the current program, a randomly-generated calendar of food items, toys, sounds, etc. Analysis found that much of the enrichment provided was eliciting no, or only brief, engagement. To address this, our first step was creating experiences based on natural and individual history. These were multi-day, cumulative, and immersive experiences prompting natural behaviors such as bathing, roosting, or foraging. Next, we re-imagined each animal’s husbandry and habitat to provide opportunities to interact with their environment, such as natural foraging options, temperature gradients, and different shelter spaces. As we continued evaluating, we learned a lot about our offered enrichment, as well as how to best conduct our evaluations and what type of data was useful. Evaluations show significant behavior changes, including a decrease in stereotypical behaviors, increase in activity level and space usage, and increase in natural behaviors. Overall, the re-imagined enrichment program has already significantly improved our animals’ mental and physical wellbeing, and effective data collection will continue to inform our evolving enrichment program. |
Publishing Permission Pending
From pest to professor: Nutrias - looking at an invasive species through different eyes Ms Barbara Glatz Mrs Anna Oblasser-Mirtl AnimalTrainingCenter Full Abstract
Nutrias (Myocastor coypus) are an invasive species in Austria, introduced for fur farming many generations ago. Even though this practice is not allowed anymore, a good amount of these animals is left in the wild, forming independent and self-sustaining groups. While some consider them a pest, they play an invaluable role at the AnimalTrainingCenter (ATC), a unique teaching location in Central Europe. The ATC provides learning opportunities to animal caretakers, trainers, vets, and laymen, but also to the animals who found a loving home at the compound after being rescued in the wild or rehomed from sub-optimal situations. These animals are trained to accomplish two main tasks: they participate in wildlife education programs and they support people in improving their training skills. Our nutrias are among the most popular species chosen for training during our professional training workshops. They have helped participants to learn about shaping, capturing and luring techniques, building up duration, training in a protected contact setting and more. During this presentation you will learn about the ATC’s approach to teaching animals and people alike and you will meet the (probably) best trained nutrias on this planet. |
A New Perspective:
Using Antecedent Arrangement to Accomplish Behavioral Goals Heather Shields The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens Full Abstract
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (TLD) manages a breeding herd comprised of 6.5 giraffe. In February of 2022, 0.1 giraffe Cole was born to a first-time mother. Despite Cole’s involvement in the behavioral training program, the team was struggling to make significant progress toward multiple behavioral goals, including getting Cole to walk through the giraffe restraint device (GRD). While Cole is not the only giraffe in the herd that displays hesitancy and refusal to voluntarily walk through the GRD, the need to accomplish this goal became more pressing as TLD received a transfer recommendation from the SSP. Numerous unsuccessful approaches were attempted, including the use of operant conditioning techniques and continuous adjustment of session antecedent arrangement. With nothing to lose, the team decided to go back to the basics. Instead of using human-driven opportunities for reinforcement through discrete ABCs, the team simply gave Cole the opportunity to explore this problem, develop the skills herself, and overcome the issue from a “free operant” approach. Through strategic set-up of the barn, companions, and placement of high-value reinforcers, Cole successfully passed through the GRD. This approach was also successful with two others in our herd. The team is anxious to continue the momentum and tailor the approach to the remaining two individuals in the herd who also lack the skill set to be calm and comfortable in the GRD. |