ENGAGEWinter 2017

Volume 3

ABMAThe Animal Behavior Management Alliance

Photo by: Liz Kellerman

As 2016 draws to a close, I find myself reflecting upon my time so far as president and thinking about all that the ABMA has accomplished in the last year. What a year it has been! Our organization has worked toward several long-term goals and seen improvements in a number of areas. Behind the scenes of the ABMA, the board has been continually improving its services to members and is better equipped than ever before to meet the diverse needs of its membership. In the new year, I hope to see even more of you utilizing the resources that the organization provides, from CollaborNation to our constantly evolving website. These services are there for you all year round.

In April, we had an inspiring conference in Tampa, FL, thanks to the hospitality of Busch Gardens and the Lowry Park Zoo. Susie Ellis, the executive director of the International Rhino Foundation was our keynote speaker, updating the attendees on the status of Africa’s wild rhino populations. Many of our members have participated in

fundraisers for the International Rhino Foundation, and being able to see how those funds have directly benefitted wild populations was truly uplifting. We also listened to an engaging talk by Mark Simmons, author of Killing Keiko, who conducted such a powerful presentation during the conference that we asked him to contribute an article to this newsletter. Even if you were unable to join us in Tampa, you can experience a taste of Mark’s expertise and unique perspective on the industry.

Looking toward 2017 and beyond, I hope to see our organization continue to grow and diversify, especially improving our status as a global resource for behavior management. I also anticipate further need in the future to present cohesive, united statements regarding changes to our industry, much like we did this year with our response to TripAdvisor’s stance on animal interactions. The ABMA is prepared to meet such challenges head-on, and we are poised to contribute significantly and meaningfully to the future of animal management around the world. I look forward to all that the future brings.

Cathy Schlott

Letter from the President

ABMA DISCLAIMER

One of the core values of the ABMA states that:

1. The sharing of knowledge and new ideas is fundamental to advancing animal behavior management.

We do this in many ways, such as through our conferences, publications, and social media. Our written publications feature many fascinat-ing and thought-provoking papers and articles. Some you may agree with, others may challenge your perceptions and ideas. And while the content that you read reflects the views of the author and does not necessarily represent the feelings of the ABMA or the board of directors, we think that the diversity of subjects and viewpoints represented by our members, at our conferences, in our publications, and via our social media outlets is one of the strengths of this organization. We encourage you to take in all that you read with an open mind, because you might be surprised by what you learn.

Thank you and enjoy the publication!

ABMA Board of Directors:

President: Cathy Schlott-National Aviary; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA

Past President: Nicki Boyd- San Diego Zoo; San Diego, California USA

President-Elect: Tricia Dees-Petco; San Antonio, Texas USA

Chief Financial Officer: Susie Ekard-San Diego Safari Park; San Diego, California USA

Secretary: Christa Gaus-National Aviary; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA

1st Vice President: Kelly Elkins-San Diego Zoo; San Diego, California USA

2nd Vice President: Missy Lamar-Disney’s Animal Kingdom; Orlando, FL USA

Director: Scott Trauger-Natural Encounters Inc; Orlando, Florida USA

Director: Clint Lusardi-San Diego Zoo; San Diego, California USA

Director, Chief Information Officer: Darren Minier-Oakland Zoo; Oakland, California USA

Director: Justin Garner-Busch Gardens; Tampa Bay, Florida USA

Director: Alicia Sampson-Cincinnati Zoo; Cincinnati, OhioUSA

Director: Jay Tacey-Sea World Orlando; Orlando, Florida USA

March 26-31, 2017AZA Mid-Year MeetingAlbuquerque, New Mexico Hosted by ABQ BioParkFor more information go to: www.aza.org/conferences-meetings April 4-7, 2017International Zoo Design ConferenceWroclaw, PolandHosted by Wroclaw Zoo and ZooLex Zoo Design OrganizationFor more information go to: www.zoodesignconference.com/

April 17-20, 2017African Painted Dog ConferenceTopeka, KSHosted by Topeka ZooFor more information go to: http://topekazoo.org/APDconference/

April 17-22, 2017AZA Best Practices in Animal Keeping CoursesBuffalo, NYHosted by Buffalo ZooFor more information go to: https://www.aza.org/courses

April 23-28, 2017ABMA Annual ConferenceCincinnati, OHHosted by Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical GardenFor more information go to: www.theabma.org/abma-annual-conference/

April 30-May 5, 2017AZA Animal Welfare: Evidence-Based ManagementChicago, ILHosted by Chicago Zoological Society-Brookfield ZooFor more information go to: https://www.aza.org/courses May 15-19, 2017International Conference on Environmental EnrichmentBogota, ColombiaHosted by Parque Jaime DuqueFor more information go to: www.enrichment.org

2017 EVENT CALENDER

It is that time of year again when folks are making their budgets for 2017 and deciding what conferences to attend in. So, we present to you the….

TOP 10 REASONS TO ATTEND ABMA 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

#10 The Roebling Bridge. This iconic Cincinnati bridge was designed by John A. Roebling 30 years before the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge spans the Ohio River, where you might catch a steamboat cruising down the river. The Ohio River and its tributaries are popular kayak, fishing and boating sites so while you might be landlocked in Ohio you will still have access to water fun.

#9 Skyline Chilli and the local cuisine. While some say chilli should not be served over spaghetti, we say, stop being so picky and give it a try. Learn the local language by ordering a 3-way, 4-way or 5-way. We won’t tell you what that means; we will let you experience it for yourself!

#8 Art Deco & the architecture. Cincinnati is a very old town with superb art deco architecture located all over the city. Our downtown Netherlands conference hotel is frequently used in movies along with the surrounding downtown area since it looks like 1960s New York City. If you love architecture, especially art deco, this town is for you.

#7 Celebrity Sightings. What? Celebrities in Cincinnati? That’s right- Cincinnati is a celebrity hotspot since thanks to #8 many popular movies are filmed here (The Ides of March and Carol most recently). Also, the Lachey brothers live here and run a bar in the hip Over the Rhine neighborhood so maybe Nick Lachey will pour you a beer as he sings to you!

#6 Greaters Ice Cream. Locally made ice cream that is one of Oprah’s Favorite Things! And Oprah is never wrong! Can you tell we like to eat in this town?!?

#5 Bourbon. Cincinnati is 1.5 hours from the start of the Bourbon Trail. All bourbon is made in Kentucky so you can participate in the tradition of seeing how many distilleries you can visit in a day and how many tiny samples of bourbon it takes you to decide you “love all you guys”. Also, there are bourbon balls- chocolate and booze combined together will never steer you wrong.

#4 Three site visits. That’s right- THREE! The icebreaker will be held in the Newport Aquarium and there will be a whole day visit to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and another full day at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Additionally, Cincinnati is located a day trip driving distance to many other facilities you can explore on your own, including Indianapolis Zoo, Louisville Zoo, The Wilds, Toledo Zoo, Cleveland Zoo…. the list goes on depending on how much you like to drive!

#3 See Rickey Kinley in his natural habitat. Cincinnati Zoo is home to the one and only Rickey Kinley, ABMA party legend, bird keeper/trainer and dog trainer extraordinaire. If you don’t know who Ricky is then you are missing out and defiantly need to be here to find out!

#2 Over 27 local breweries. Cincinnati is a German town so we are big on beer. We host the largest Oktoberfest outside of Germany and celebrate German tradition year round with locally made beer. Our downtown hotel is a trolley trip away from the Brewery District, where you can sample locally made beer, cider and even wine.

#1 Collaborating with Colleagues! Of course #2-10 are amazing reasons to visit our town but we all know the best reason to attend 2017 ABMA is getting the chance to meet your animal colleagues and share knowledge, problem solve and to build collaborative relationships.

See you in Cincinnati in April 2017!

BIRTHANNOUNCEMENTS

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is excited to announce that a rare Andean condor chick has been spotted with adults Gryph and Laurel was born July 27th. This is the first chick of this species to hatch in Cincinnati in 30 years and only the fourteenth to hatch in North American institutions in the past decade. The Zoo’s condor pair has been laying one egg per year since 2008 but did not produce a chick until now! The success may have something to do with the installation of a nesting chamber in 2014. The 300-pound box, built by Zoo volunteers, was designed to provide a more secure, cave-in-a-cliff-like environment for the birds. She will remain here in the condor exhibit with her 34-yr-old parents until the SSP decides to send her to another facility for breeding or to Cincinnati Zoo’s off-site facility to be conditioned for release into the wild.

Giraffe Zoey born September 13th for the second time in less than two months, giraffes at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden welcomed a new addition to the herd. Five-year-old Jambo delivered a calf at 1:45 a.m. in her indoor stall after about two hours of labor. She stood and nursed within the first hour after birth,” said Christina Gorsuch, curator of mammals at the Cincinnati Zoo. “Mom stood rock solid for nursing all night, which is exactly the behavior you hope to see.” “Jambo must have been paying attention when Cece gave birth in July,” said Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard. “First-time moms don’t always know what to do with their babies, but Jambo has been watching Cece and Cora and seems at ease around her calf.”

Giraffe Cora born July 27th at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden weighs approx-imately 100 pounds and towers over most of its keepers! After an unusually quick labor, five-year-old giraffe Cece delivered a healthy calf at 10:27 a.m. in her indoor stall. The calf stood within an hour of birth. The Cincinnati Zoo’s history with giraffe births dates back to 1889 when it became the first zoo in the Western Hemisphere to produce a baby giraffe. This is the fourteenth giraffe born in Cincinnati. Cece came to the Cincinnati Zoo in 2013 from the Kansas City Zoo on a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan (SSP). Her mate, Kimba, came to Cincinnati in 2008, from the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island. He has sired three calves with Tessa and Jambo’s calf will make him a five-time dad.

A female bonobo named Bertie was born on Dec. 9 at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Her mom, Susie, is an experienced mother and is caring for the newborn with the other bonobos in her group.

Baby manatees! On Sunday November 6th the Zoo welcomed four new manatee rescues to Manatee Coast. Meet Junebug, Jedi and twins, Millennium and Falcon! Stubby joins the young calves and Cadbury has returned to Florida to be released. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a second-stage rehabilitation facility as part of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP).

Ignoring the popular notion that it’s not easy being cheesy, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden keepers selected some stinky, mild and sharp names for the African painted dog pups born to mom Imara and dad Kwasi on October 16, 2016. The puppy cheese tray includes Nacho and Muenster, the two males, Bleu, Brie, Gouda, Queso, Colby, Swiss, Cojita, Mozzarella and Feta. “ The only thing our primary painted dog keepers love as much as dogs is cheese! The cheese theme had an added bonus of offering a large variety of name options,” Said Christina Gorsuch, Curator of Mammals at the Cincinnati Zoo and Vice Coordinator of the African Painted Dog Species Survival Plan (SSP). “African painted dogs are born white and black with portions of the black turning to gold when they are 6-8 weeks old. The white marks remain the same from birth; these unique markings will help keepers identify each pup for future vaccinations, physical exams, and day-to-day care. They will eventually learn their names which allow keepers to train them individually and teach important husbandry behaviors.” All pack members are participating in the rearing of the eleven pups (one of the litter of twelve did not survive). “The pups are seven weeks old and completely weaned from their mom’s milk onto meat. The entire pack is fed together 3-4 times a day in order to keep up with the demand of the growing puppy appetites. Anything the pups don’t eat is consumed by the four adults who will regurgitate meat for the pups throughout the day and night. They have incredible puppy energy and are running circles around the adults; everything is new and very exciting for them,” said Gorsuch. Painted dogs are one of the most endangered carnivores on the continent, with fewer than 5,000 dogs concentrated in parts of southern and eastern Africa. There are approximately 139 animals (55 males, 49 females, and 35 unknown sex) distributed among 33 North American Zoos and 564 in Zoos worldwide. The Cincinnati Zoo is currently home to 15 painted dogs. The pack has access to the outdoor exhibit when temperatures are above 50 degrees, so the first public viewing of the pups is likely to be in early spring.

Abilene Zoo

Mananasi was born on September 10th in an off-exhibit holding area at the Abilene Zoo. First time parents, Punk and Mesi, have been great parents watching over Mananasi as he learns how to live in a herd. Punk is a sixteen year old Reticulated giraffe and Mesi is an eleven year old Rothschild giraffe. Mananasi means “pineapple” in Swahili. Pineapple was zoo staffs unique code word to use over the radio in case Punk went into labor on exhibit. Mananasi is the first giraffe to be born at the Abilene Zoo since 2002. “Mananasi is a curious, rambunctious boy and a healthy eater,” said Dr. Stephanie Carle, the zoo’s Veterinarian. “He nurses with such gustothat everyone can hear him slurping and suckling. It’s music to our ears.” Mananasi was born weighing 120 pounds and standing 68 inches tall.

Mananasi has joined the herd of six other giraffes in the newly completed Giraffe Safari exhibit in-cluding another youngster, one year old Kito, who joined the herd early 2016 from Fossil Rim. Mesi towers over the baby, as well as the other adult females, standing over 18 feet tall. Punk, Asha, Jamie, and Sunny can be seen nurturing Mananasi and Kito on exhibit daily.

The San Diego Zoo’s mandrill group welcomed a new addition to their ranks this week. Female mandrill Kesi gave birth to a baby boy—the first mandrill born at the Zoo in over 14 years. Animal care staff had been watching for Kesi to give birth; but the night before, there were still no signs she was in labor. The next day, staff members said they were surprised to see Kesi walk out of her bedroom holding her new baby.“It’s like every day we would come to work in the morning and think like there might be a baby – we don’t know,” Jenny Baublit, senior primate keeper at the San Diego Zoo. “To actually see it was pretty incredible. Especially since she came in so quietly, just like a typical morning, but just happen to have a baby with her.”This is the first baby for Kesi and male mandrill Jasper. So far, staff said, they are doing exceptionally well as new parents—and mom is being very attentive to the baby’s nursing needs.The San Diego Zoo's first mandrills, Peter and Suzy, arrived in 1923. More mandrills arrived in 1938, and a mandrill breeding program was established in an effort to bolster the population. More than 34 mandrills have been born at the Zoo and Safari Park over the years. Guests can visit the Zoo’s three mandrills on Monkey Trail in Lost Forest. They share an exhibit with guenons, including spot-nosed monkeys and Wolf ’s monkeys.Bringing species back from the brink of extinction is the goal of San Diego Zoo Global. As a leader in conservation, the work of San Diego Zoo Global includes on-site wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) at the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, as well as international field programs on six continents. The work of these entities is inspiring children through the San Diego Zoo Kids network, reaching out through the internet and in children’s hospitals nationwide. The work of San Diego Zoo Global is made possible by the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy and is supported in part by the Foundation of San Diego Zoo Global.

This duo was born Nov. 19, 2016 and when their mother didn’t care for them, animal care staff had to intervene. Since then, a team of eight has been caring for them, bottle feeding them a formula spe-cifically designed for cheetahs, weighing them daily to monitor their health, and simulating the grooming that they would normally receive from their mother. These cheetah sisters don’t have names yet, but staff call them “Yellow” and “Purple” because of the colors of temporary ID markings put on their tails. As the cubs grow, the bottle feedings will become less frequent and at four weeks old, the pair will start to receive solid food. When they reach 70-days-old, they will be weaned from their cheetah formula. Guests visiting the Safari Park this month can see the cheetahs in their nursery at the Nairobi Station between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. At this phase in their development, they are sleeping about 22 hours a day but are expected be more active as they mature. The lights in the nursery are usually turned off to mimic the dark den where they would typically spend their first five weeks with their mother. The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is one of nine breeding facilities participating in the cheetah Breeding Center Coalition (BCC). The goal of the coalition is to create a sustainable cheetah population that will prevent extinction of the world’s fastest land animal. San Diego Zoo Global has been breeding cheetahs for more than 40 years, with more than 150 cubs born. It is estimated that the worldwide population of cheetahs has been reduced from 100,000 in 1900 to just 10,000 left today, with about 10% now living in zoos or wildlife parks.

A baby Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth received its first health check at the San Diego Zoo this week. The baby, born Oct. 12, 2016, now weighs 1.43 pounds (.65 kilograms), and staff saw four teeth during the exam. A hair sample was sent to a lab for analysis to determine if the baby is male or female, since it is difficult to determine the sex of a sloth at this age. The baby is typically found clinging to its mother, Consuelo, in a nesting box at the Harry and Grace Steel Elephant Odyssey sloth habitat. Keepers report that the baby is eating solid foods and likes apples. Sloths may begin eating solid foods as early as four days old, but they also continue to nurse until they are four months old, when sloth mothers typically wean their babies. To acclimate the baby to being handled for routine health checks and veterinary exams as part of overall animal welfare, keepers work with the baby and the mother on a regular basis. Consuelo is attentive but calm while the keepers hold and interact with the baby. Guests visiting the Zoo might not be able to see the sloths because they are nocturnal. However, animal care staff have observed that the baby is becoming more independent and is starting to venture away from Consuelo, so guests may have a better chance of seeing it if they stop by the exhibit closer to dusk.

Training dogs is nothing new. Training dogs for scent detection is not anything innovative either. What makes this paper a little different is that the training was done by two sea lion trainers and a couple of Canis lupus familiaris, of which for this paper we will focus on one ten year old Labrador, Sissy.

We wanted to prove that dogs were detecting a scent on a person having a seizure and nothing else. There are many other acceptable theories for what the dogs are detecting, but our work as volunteer trainers for assistance animals has shown us that we believe the animals are cueing off a scent. We will not go into that aspect of this

story, but instead focus on the positive reinforcement training of Sissy to decipher sweat samples from those with epilepsy and those without.

Training began once we had a few strong sweat samples. These were taken off sterile gauze from sweat after three people had a seizure. They were kept in glass jars in freezers. Other sweat samples were taken of co-workers for “control” samples. Sissy was initially exposed to the seizure samples. When she would sniff at the sample, the bridge “good” was given (as already established in her training history) and she was reinforced with a variety of reinforcers. After five trials of this, the samples were then hidden throughout the house and Sissy was given the discriminative stimulus “find.” She would search around the house until she found the sample. This step ensured that she was utilizing her nose and not her eyes to find the samples. We did approximately ten of these trials before we went outside to hide the samples. Again, after she found the sample, she was bridged and given a variety of reinforcers, from tactile to walks to dinner. We would do a variety of trials in each session, but limiting them to less than five, so that the smells of the samples would not linger in the places they once were set. Sissy chose herself how she would determine which was her selection. She would paw at the sample at least three times before given a bridge. All in all, in less than a month, Sissy appeared to have a grasp on the behavior. After this month, the “control” samples were added into the mix. It is worth noting that she would react to one particular individual’s baseline sweat sample. While this individual does not have seizures she is aware of, she does have a child and brother with varying degrees of epilepsy. This sample was thrown out. Sissy never did pick any of the other “control” samples from co-workers.

Training Scent Detection for Seizure Alerts

Tricia Dees

Another month of trials occurred at Sissy’s house, and all sessions were still varying trial numbers and varying reinforcers. Sissy was never given any sort of redirection; if she chose incorrectly, she would stop pawing on her own and come back to her trainer calmly to await more information. Sometimes we would ask her again to “find.” Sometimes the samples were all moved around and she was asked to find again, or sometimes we would reinforce. Sissy was more than 95% correct at home after these two months, so we teamed up with a local university to get more scientific, the hope being that if we could prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the dogs are detecting a smell, we could get a university to dissect these samples in a gas chromatograph and finally conclude what the dogs are detecting. These formal trials were held at a dog sniffing facility nearby in Somerset, Texas.

At the facility was a constructed wall used to place sample smells in. The wall could hold over twenty samples. The professor would randomly pick one seizure sample and up to seven non-seizure samples. We did ten trials the first trip out to Somerset. Sissy was incorrect on the last two. Since the wall was enclosed in a room, with a heavy ventilation system, we were not convinced her nose was getting “confused” with all the lingering scents. 8 for 10 was still good enough for the professor and trainers to decide that we had enough success to continue. The wall was then transported to Sissy’s backyard so that she could train with the apparatus.

Training was going well and another two months passed before she had another formal trial. This time, we did the testing outside. Sissy was 4 for 4. She also detected a seizure sample that she had never smelt before on a new person. The professor was very pleased with the progress but wanted to do one more formal trial. We were planning on doing this last trial in a new place and use half old samples and half new samples to finally prove that the dogs are detecting a scent. Sadly, Sissy was diagnosed with a very aggressive lymphoma. Her signs were first detected in December and she passed away in January. She had a clean bill of health in October. While the final trial never did occur, the researchers believe that we had enough data to write a paper that will be coming out in 2017. The point of this paper is to show that you can teach an old dog new tricks, and you can teach a dog the same way you would a sea lion, with a positive reinforced based system that utilizes a variety of reinforcers.

As a concept, I do not support the idea of animals in captivity. I do, however, vigorously support zoological sciences and our top zoos and aquariums. Are these statements in conflict? The answer is no, absolutely not. It isn’t about defining physical spaces or even arguing the implications of dependency; it’s about words. Every behavior we engage in has an associated emotional component (called “conditioned emotional response” or CER). In similar fashion, our words contain a value framework, a tacit knowledge that goes far beyond Webster’s definition. Words can trigger strong emotions, sometimes multiple emotions. They form meaning not only through explicit definition, but arguably more important, the symbolic and emotional connections contained within them. Words have power.

In his book, “The Language of Trust,” Michael Maslansky writes, “Throughout history, language has been used to enslave, conquer, oppress, and even exterminate people because it is so powerful.” The word “captivity” is a prime example. By definition, including its emotional framework, captivity is a punitive word forged in a language of hatred. When we hear this word the linked symbolism is exclusively negative; we “feel” a meaning equated to isolation, deprivation and punishment. Nothing about this word or its emotional framework describes animals that thrive in our best zoos and aquariums.

Recently, I had a discussion on this very topic with a respected colleague who has spent more than 35 years in the pro-fessional zoological community. When we broached the subject of captivity, my colleague responded defiantly, telling me they were not afraid of the word, that they would not hide behind “buzz” words or cower from its use in the face of anti-zoo sentiment. I’ve heard this same response all too often in the professional animal community. While I commend the passionate intent, this mindset is nothing less than ill-informed self-destruction. As Winston Churchill famously said, “We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out.”

If asked whether it’s okay to put any animal in captivity what rational or reasonable human being could possibly agree? None would, and that is precisely the point. When we think of our companion animals, we use a value framework of descriptors like “care,” “family,” “relationship” and “love.” Our best zoos and aquariums exemplify these values in spades. In fact, it is fair to say animals in professional zoological care are far better provided for than any domestic pet, in every category.

“But my pet gets to go places with me. They’re not stuck in a room their entire life.” Rubbish. This linear, one-dimensional thinking ignores the individual’s unique learning history (ontogenetic history). It is precisely the same thinking that led to the death of the world’s most famous killer whale. While real people created the circumstances that led to Keiko’s death, it was the word and the notion of “captivity” that ultimately killed him. Animals in human care are reliant on that care, whether it develops in a room, a field or the wide-open ocean. Positive relationships in particular are interdependent and persistent. It is a two-way street that forms over time, developing a bond that is not so easily broken no matter the material space around us.

People and animals both seek circumstances that have proven to be the most positive in their life. Certainly we learn from aversive or traumatic experiences, yet it is not those experiences we seek to repeat. We gravitate to that which is our history and what is familiar to us. More precisely, it is learning that has been associated with joy, fulfillment and happiness that dominantly sets the stage in determining future behavior. Positive reinforcement forms a type of learning history that is exceptionally resistant to change.

In a Word, ”Captivity” Kills

by Mark SimmonsOERCA.com

The idea that Keiko’s life was defined by a perception of captivity (i.e. punishment, isolation, enslavement and deprivation) led the world to believe that he would prefer a life in the wild, free from such distress-es. In the end, it proved to be a life completely foreign to him and void of the only family he had ever known. In every setting and until his dying day, his human family is exactly what he sought. Why? Apart from any physical habitat, Keiko’s life with people was an immeasurably positive one.

When we talk about our dog, we don’t tell others “I have a Golden retriever in captivity.” Yet, somehow when we talk about our top zoos and aquariums “captivity” is the word most commonly used to describe the relationship. Why do otherwise intelligent people, even those in the

zoological profession, continue to give power to such a provocative word? In short, radical anti-zoo proponents have done a masterful job of weaving the word “captivity” into everyday conversation, but only as it relates to zoos and aquariums. They know better than to alienate the average consumer (or potential donor) by using such a polarizing word when referring to companion animals.

Anti-zoo proponents have been so effective in their publicity scheme that celebrities, policy-makers, news anchors and even caregivers in top zoos have passively accepted the premise, carelessly disregarding the contradiction relative to other forms of animals in our society. In many cases, the very people that hotly criticize zoos go home to a family pet, never realizing or accepting the parallel human-animal bond. Such is the power of a single word.

In “The Language of Trust,” Maslansky goes on to say “The media compounds the problem as outlets compete for viewers and readership by telling the simplest, starkest stories and basing them on symbols that are easily digestible and difficult to refute. Complex subjects are reduced to taglines, nuance is lost, and the opportunities for real, engaged discussion disappear.”

California recently passed a statute limiting our ability to provide proper care for killer whales. The state effectively cast aside a body of empirical knowledge and experience earned from decades of blood, sweat, tears and factual results. The new California statute even usurps federal marine mammal protection laws and marginalizes animal welfare. When factual and engaged discussion disappear, we all lose.

Objectivity is a critical component in making good animal welfare decisions. Injecting a detestable word like “captivity” at the start of that conversation eradicates any hope of unprejudiced or substantive discussion. I believe any reasonable individual would agree, we at least owe this much to the animals we all treasure and work to protect.

Over the next century it is estimated we will lose one species every 20 minutes. By 2100, nearly half of all higher order mammals may be extinct. Our top zoos are front and center in the fight to preserve wildlife. They are the showroom floor for species survival, fighting against extinction one individual at a time. The word captivity is already responsible for the unjust death of the world’s most famous whale. As we face the most rapid and large scale loss of wildlife in studied history, this single word continues to erode the foundations of zoological science, our greatest asset in the fight to salvage many species. By their words, let it be known who stands for real animal welfare.

Author BioMark Simmons is a managing partner at OERCA.com (One Earth Research & Conservation App) and author of the non-fiction book “Killing Keiko: The True Story of Free Willy’s Return to the Wild.” He has spent the last 29 years working in the field of marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation. Simmons co-founded Ocean Embassy and has worked for SeaWorld and as the Director of Husbandry on the Free Willy/Keiko Release Project, authoring and implementing the behavioral reintroduction protocols for Keiko’s release attempt in Iceland. He has served as a Board member for both the Marine Mammal Conservancy and Embassy Blue Institute.

Paired Stimulus Preference AssessmentDr. Nicole Dorey

Preference in animals has been investigated for a variety of reasons such as to determine the preference of food , housing, environmental enrichment devices. Dawkins (2003a) proposed that by investigating the opportunity of choice, animal may be able to improve their own welfare (p.383). For example, Dawkins investigated housing for boiler chickens giving them a choice between a numbers of habitats. He found that boiler chickens preferred an environment with trees and that they spent more time under trees when they were available than anywhere else in the enclosure (Dawkins, 2003b). A paired stimulus preference assessment (PSPA) allows comparisons of preference between stimuli by putting a series of paired stimuli in front of the participant and allowing access only to the stimulus the partici-pant selects (Fisher et al., 1992). The PSPA method can be used as an effective way to compare a list of items in pairs with each other and has been shown to produce consistent results for identifying effective reinforcers for humans, cockroaches (Dixon et al., 2016), cotton-top tamarins (Fernandez et al., 2004), tortoises (Mehrkam & Dorey, 2014) and wolves (Dorey et al., 2015) to name a few. In the field of applied behavior analysis, preference assessments are an established method to identify highly preferred reinforcers with humans with developmental disabilities, including non-verbal populations (Roane et al., 1998; Cannella et al. 2005) in a variety of settings (i.e. schools, clinics and residential institutions). Although the majority of research has been done with humans, this methodology has been extended to non-human animals. The purpose of this paper is to review the research of the lasts research using these methods in a zoo setting. In a PSPA two stimuli (food, enrichment device, keeper, trained behavior) are presented to the subject simultaneously. The order of these pairs are randomized and counterbalanced, such that every combination of pairs, in every possible order are presented equidistant apart from the subjects. Before the PSPA all the subjects get to interact with all the stimuli for a specified amount (amount varies with stimuli type and species), this pre-exposure period is conducted to ensure that the subject would have prior experience with the stimuli. The first study we are going to discuss will be Fernandez, Dorey and Rosales-Ruiz (2003). In this study Fernan-dez, et al (2003) conducted a PSPA with a group of zoo-housed cotton-top tamarins. The subjects were given a choose between a variety of food items to investigate which food they preferred so that the trainers could use the most preferred food during training. They found a clear general trend among the five cotton-top tamarins. Graham crackers were selected most of the time followed closely by Fig Newtons, whereas bananas were the least preferred among the group. The second study investigated food preference and reinforcer effectiveness using a PSPA with giant pandas and African elephants (Gaalema et al., 2011). They separated food items into three categories (High, moderate, and low preference items) and tested for reinforcer effectiveness. The authors found that high-prefer-ence items controlled behavior more effectively than less-preferred items. One of the most interesting additions of this research was that they surveyed the caregiver and asked them to rate the food in the order of preference. They found that the caregiver ratings of food preferences did not necessarily coincide with the subjects actual preferences. They did find that caregiver ratings correlated with the food preferences of only 1 individual of each species, thus they hypothesized that the preferences of one subject might have been generalized to all the animals, which gave the care-givers a false rating of preference for the other animals in their care. To add to this literature, Mehrkam and Dorey (2014) used a PSPA to investigate the preference between keeper interaction and en-vironmental enrichment devices and the efficacy of those preferences with three Galapagos tortoises. They systematically evaluated the effects of the keeper interactions and the environmental enrichment devices had on the animal’s locomotion, species-typical behavior,

aggression and non-aggressive conspecific interactions as well as enclosure use. The authors found that all subjects preferred the keeper’s interactions consistently over the environmental enrichment devices. However, there results on the efficacy of these stimuli weren’t as clear. They found that this method was a variable predictor of efficacy across the behaviors they collected data on. These results suggest that the predictive utility of PSPA assessments may depend on the behavioral goals of the facilities enrichment strategy.

Mehrkam and Dorey (2015) conducted another study to investigate if caregivers were better at predicting the preference of environmental enrichment devices of the animals in their care. In this study the authors conducted a PSPA across 6 different species-each from a different taxonomic group. They found that five out of the six spe-cies has clear systematic preference for specific environmental enrichment items. They also found results similar to Gaalema et al, caregivers, regardless of experience level, were not able to predict the animals most-preferred environmental enrichment device. However, they were able to predict the caregiver’s least preferred environmen-tal enrichment device, thus concluding that preference assessments may be a useful husbandry strategy. They final paper I’m going to review was conducted by Dorey, Mehrkam, & Tacey (2015). These authorsused the PSPA to investigate whether a group of wolves preferred environmental enrichment over a trained behavior. They paired two behaviors that had been previously trained (painting a canvas and stationing on a log) with two environmental enrichment devices, all stimuli delivered the same amount of food. They found that the results varied by the individual wolf. Overall only one wolf had a significantly higher preference for an environ-mental enrichment device over a trained behavior. This study was a first set in empirically investigating whether training is enriching.

After summarizing the research conducted using the PSPA method with zoo-housed animals it is clear that using this method appears to be a systematic and reliable way to empirically determine an animal’s preference. However, this research is in its infancy and thus more research needs to be conducts to find out its long term predictability.

Hint: If you would like original copies of the research mentioned in this paper, please feel free to contact the first author. All researchers are happy to send their papers on to anyone that asks. ReferencesDawkins, M. S. (2003a). Behaviour as a tool in the assessment of animal welfare. Zoology, 106(4), 383-387. doi:10.1078/0944-2006-00122Dawkins, M.S., P.A. Cook, M.J. Whittingham, K.A. Mansell and A.E. Harper. (2003b). What makes free-range broilers range? In situ measurements of habitat preference. Anim. Behav. 66: 151–160Dorey, N. R., Mehrkam, L. R. and Tacey, J. (2015). A method to assess relative preference for training and environmental enrichment in captive wolves (Canis lupus and Canis lupus arctos). Zoo Biol., 34: 513–517. doi: 10.1002/zoo.21239Fisher, W., Piazza, C. C., Bowman, L. G., Hagopian, L. P., Owens, J. C., & Slevin, I. (1992). A comparison of two approaches for identifying reinforcers for persons with severe and profound disabilities. J Appl Behav Anal Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 25(2), 491-498. doi:10.1901/jaba.1992.25-491Gaalema, DE, Perdue, BM, Kelling, AS. (2011). Food preference, keeper rating, and reinforce effectiveness in exotic animals: the value of systematic testing. J appl Anim Welf Sci 14:33-41. Mehrkam LR, Dorey NR. (2014). Is preference a predictor of enrichment efficacy in Galapagos tortoises (Chelonoidis nigra)? Zoo Biol 33:275–284.Merkham, L.R. and Dorey, N.R. (2015). Preference assessments in the zoo: Keeper and staff predictions on enrichment preferences across species. Zoo Biol 34:418-430.

Training One Animal May Not Change the World, but for That Animal, Their World is Changed Forever

By Maureen O. Duryee

The Thailand Clouded Leopard Consortium operates a breeding center for this unique, little-known cat in a national forest, at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi. It houses 40 clouded leopards, varying in ages from 17 years to 7 months. This breeding and research program has been running successful-ly since 2002, with a goal of learning more about this vulnerable species and creating a self-sustaining population in managed care.

As a senior trainer at the San Diego Zoo, I have had the opportunity to visit the Khao Kheow Open Zoo and breeding center three times in the past six years. Each time, I’ve learned something new about this ancient species of cat, which I have been able to share with my colleagues at the Animals in Action program at the San Diego Zoo.

photo: Maureen O. Duryee

This past October, however, the San Diego Zoo supported another opportunity to share information we use at our facility with the Thai keepers. I was invited to lecture during a three-day workshop all about clouded leopards.

Ken Lang from the Smithsonian Institution started the seminar with a presentation on the history of the Thailand Clouded Leopard Consortium and finished with the details of breeding and hand rearing clouded leopards. My contribution consisted of teaching a training class with clouded leopards, using operant conditioning with an emphasis on positive reinforcement.

Noi ran and hid behind a large leafy bush, but I was able to coax her out with a lure made of flowers attached to a stick. While I was busy playing with her, Ken and the other keepers strung a rope with cubes of horse meat attached around her living space. We removed the disk and left Noi the watermelon. Once it was rolled to her, she began to attack it! The watermelon kept Noi busy for almost an hour, and we left it with her until very late in the day, since she continued to interact with it.

On the third and last day of the workshop, we all made enrichment items appropriate for this cat species, then introduced some of them to a seven-month-old clouded leopard cub named Noi, to watch her reaction. The biggest item was a hanging disk holding a watermelon, and we were surprised that she was afraid of it at first!

Historically, clouded leopards don’t adjust well to life in a habitat where there is a lot of public traffic. These cats require many hiding places, even when placed in managed care in quiet areas. Current-ly, the Thailand Clouded Leopard Consortium is doing research with Noi (which means “little”). The theory is, by raising her in a large living space with dense native vegetation and other areas to hide in, her chances of adjusting to busy zoo life are much better—especially while she is naturally curious and still very playful. She is visited several times a day by her keeper staff, and she seems to be adjusting to her surroundings much better than predicted.

photo: Maureen O. Duryee

Breeding these threatened cats is the focal point of the program. Mai Me Chuu (which means “no name,”) was hand raised and paired with two other hand raised females, named Pi (which means “big sister”) and Talay (which means “beach”). This trio will spend the rest of their lives together, with the high hopes of producing more clouded leopards. No Name Senior was wild caught, and contributes valuable new genetics to this captive-managed population of a very rare, shy, and ancient cat species.

photo: Bill WoodThe consortium has experienced unprecedented success in artificial insemination (AI). In 2016, a female cub named I (from the abbreviation “AI”) was born. While there have been many AI attempts over the past 20 years, success has only come recently. I now lives next door to a potential mate, and they are showing amiable signs toward one another. Hopefully, the relationship will stay on this positive course and they, too, will contribute to increasing the currently declining population of clouded leopards.

Breeding this species of cat presents natural challenges, due to the complexity of their reproductive process. However, the research underway at the Thailand Clouded Leopard Consortium breeding facility is providing insights that may eventually help boost their numbers—both in managed care and wild habitats.

Photo: Maureen O. Duryee

Maureen O. Duryee is a senior animal trainer at the San Diego Zoo. Read her previous post, May 9 is World Binturong Day.

Photo: Monty Sloan, Wolf Park Photography

ADVANCED Animal Training with HORSES!Three Day Hands-On Workshop with Ken McCort & Sharon Madere May 5-7, 2017

Ocala, FL

• Prior equine or hoof-stock experience helpful but not required. • Hands-on participation limited to 18 experienced, science-based

animal trainers/keepers, pending application approval. $950 • Auditor/Observer slots also available, first come basis. $350• 10% discount for members of ABMA, AVSAB, BEGI, BEN, IAABC, ISES,

KPA-CTPs, Vet & Vet Tech Students (additional pending)• CEUs approved: IAABC, KPA-CTP (additional pending)

Don’t miss this unique educational opportunity combining advanced lectures and hands-on training to:

• Teach cooperative care• Overcome fear• Resolve behavior challenges• Introduce tack & equipment

Ken McCort provides private consultations through his Ohio-based business, Four Paws Animal Behavior Services. His many activities include presenting at numerous training and veterinary conferences, developing the Pet Partners skills and aptitude test, and 20+ years with the Doggie Brigade at Akron Children’s Hospital. Through projects and educational events at Wolf Park in Battleground, IN, Ken has given many dog trainers unforgettable opportunities to work with alternate species.

Sharon Madere’s passion is all things equine: she’s a Certified Horse Behavior Consultant (IAABC), a boutique breeder of Iberian horses, rides/trains/competes in artistic Classical riding, and is founder of EquiLightenment. Sharon takes on individual behavior cases, conducts training workshops and wet-labs, and lectures to veterinary students – all with a focus on the principles of learning theory and positive reinforcement to increase safety, enhance higher level performance and improve welfare.

More Info & Registration: http://equilightenment.com/event/advanced-animal-training-with-horses/

EquiLightenment@gmail.com

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