A Reexamination of the Relationship between Training Practices and Welfare in the Management of Ambassador Animals
There is an ethical need to document and develop best practices for meeting ambassador animals’ welfare needs within the context of meeting zoo and aquarium program objectives. This is because ambassador animals experience direct and frequent contact with humans. This paper rigorously synthesizes behavioral research and theory, contemporary practices, and personal experiences to offer key […]
The Use of Operant Conditioning to Enhance the Management and Welfare of Captive Kingsnakes
Snakes have been kept and bred in captivity for decades very successfully, thanks to their ability to breed in minimalistic conditions. The history of published research in the operant conditioning of snakes and their learning capabilities is well evidenced. Many husbandry practices have been founded upon trial and error, with attitudes and husbandry of captive […]
The Role of Learning and Training for Ageing Animal Care and Wellbeing
Understanding animal learning and training can greatly support animal care and good animal wellbeing through all stages of life, including when animals are ageing and often require special care. Thinking and planning for the needs and integrating the preferences of an individual animal are fundamental in short- and long-term wellbeing programmes, including animal training programmes. […]
Trainer Interaction Can Improve Welfare Outcomes of Toy Enrichment for Isolated Animals: A Case Study
In cases where social animals must be temporarily housed alone, environmental enrichment is particularly important. Providing animals with manipulable objects (“toys”) is a common form of environmental enrichment, but its effectiveness can be limited by animal disinterest or habituation. The current study examined whether caregiver interaction could increase the effectiveness of object-based enrichment for a […]
Effects of conditioning on the welfare of jaguars (Panthera onca) in captivity
The jaguar is the largest feline in the Americas and in the face of the threat of extinction and the reduction of natural areas, keeping the species in captivity may be important for its conservation. This condition can lead to a reduction in well-being, especially due to spatial limitation and lack of environmental stimulus. In […]
Strepsirrhine Primate Training Programs in North American Institutions: Status and Implications for Future Welfare Assessment
Many articles have shown the benefits of operant conditioning training techniques in the care and welfare of several species of nonhuman primates; however, the information regarding their use in strepsirrhine species is scarce. We assessed the development and current status of training programs with these species in North American institutions. An online survey was distributed […]
Fish Behavior: Training and Enrichment
Designed as a practical resource, Clinical Guide to Fish Medicine provides an evidence-based approach to the veterinary care of fish. This guide—written and edited by experts in the field—contains essential information on husbandry, diagnostics, and case management of bony and cartilaginous fish. This important resource: Provides clinically relevant information on topics such as anatomy, water quality, […]
When a habitat becomes a home: Housing and husbandry of spotted hyenas Crocuta crocuta at Disney’s Animal Kingdom®
When animals are moved between facilities, as is commonly done in zoos, it may take them time to acclimate to their new surroundings. One way that zoos can increase animals’ comfort in their new habitat is through training and enrichment programmes. In 2014, Disney’s Animal Kingdom® received two spotted hyenas Crocuta crocuta that had not […]
Training penguins to interact with enrichment devices for lasting effects
The modern zoo has brought about two major advances in the behavioral welfare of their exhibited animals: (a) The use of environmental enrichment to promote naturalistic behaviors and (b) the use of training to improve voluntary husbandry care. Whereas training itself has been talked about as an effective enrichment strategy, little has been done to […]
Behavioral, demographic, and management influences on equine responses to negative reinforcement
Understanding the factors that influence horse learning is critical to ensure horse welfare and rider safety. In this study, data were obtained from horses (n = 96) training to step backward through a corridor in response to bit pressure. After training, learning ability was determined by the latency to step backward through the corridor when handled […]