Training & Keeper-Animal Relationships

Training and maintaining positive keeper-animal relationships has been shown to have a positive effect on overall animal wellness.

Many of the animals at the Aquarium are regularly trained or “conditioned” using humane and well-researched methods that prioritize the well-being of the animal above all else. Animal Care staff work regularly with an individual animal to better facilitate their handling or care for medical examinations or husbandry purposes, for enrichment, or for their participation in daily wildlife presentations. Often an particular trainer works with an animal over an extended period of time, building a level of “trust” between animal and keeper.

Animals are trained with a process known as “operant conditioning,” which uses only positive-reinforcement to encourage certain behaviors. Animals will be “asked” to perform a behavior, that if they perform successfully, will be “reinforced” with a “reward,” such as food. If the animal doesn’t perform a behavior, the action is simply “ignored.” The animal can even choose not to participate in a training session.

Operant conditioning can be used to get animals to willfully participate in medical examinations, such as our dolphins presenting their flukes for periodic medical examinations, or even to more effectively give an animal their daily diets.

Overall, training and building positive keeper-animal relationships can help animal learn to manipulate and make choices in their environment and exhibit their natural behavior – all critical parts of their overall wellness.

Training in Action

Weighing in at more than 400 pounds and 11 feet in length, Bo is the largest animal at the Aquarium. Bo made the Aquarium his permanent home after he was shot in the wild, leaving him unable to adequately hunt for food in his natural habitat.

Using target training, the Animal Care staff that look after Bo can provide him his daily meals in a way that allows Bo to practice his natural behaviors and keeps Bo and the Animal Care staff safe.

Through target training, Bo is first “asked” to lightly touch a pole. Immediately after, he is given a “marker” word, “Good,” and then given some tasty capelin or chicken at the end of a feeder pole. Through regular use of this practice, Bo has learned to associate the “target,” the pole, with his meal. This target training also helps staff “direct” Bo to the best location in his exhibit for feeding, or for other husbandry purposes.