Many would consider training exotic animals a relatively
extraordinary career, and certainly it is. However, elements of it become
routine, just like any other job. There are things that are repetitive and
routine that are essential components of most consultations. However, every
once in a while unique opportunities present themselves that forever change you
and your perception of the species you encounter in this profession.
Countries and cultures interact differently with animals and
as a consultant I am adaptable so that I can be of help to the facilities that
hire me. This means I have sometimes
found myself working free contact with species that some cultures would
consider quite hands off. It is very
much a judgment call in that moment based on the situation. And many times I
have recommended we work protected contact (with a barrier between people and
the animal) if I felt the situation was not safe. In this case, Eva the orangutan was only going
to hurt me by melting my heart.
I have worked with a number of orangutans via protected
contact. It is a different experience. It is fairly straight forward and easy
to teach a great ape to present a number of behaviors on cue, one after another
in a structured training session. Usually behaviors that allow us to provide stress free medical care. Free contact is a different story.
Eva is part of a conservation education program. She
presents natural behaviors and helps educate audiences about orangutan natural history
and the challenges they are facing due to unsustainable palm oil farming in
Indonesia. During training sessions Eva was free to roam the area and engage in
all the wonderful activities and enrichment around her. This included other
people, trees to climb, new things to explore and destroy. This meant coming
back to people and leaving stage was sometimes a challenge. Think of letting
your dog or child play in the park. Your
job, among other things, is to make yourself and what you would like your
animal to do have more reinforcing value than those competing elements when it’s
time to return to you.
This also means thinking outside the box when it comes to
reinforcers. Food isn’t always the “be all end all” reinforcer. Especially when
it comes to an animal that is demonstrating to you that what it finds
interesting, is engaging with its environment. For this reason, we made an
effort to start gathering novel enrichment items whenever we were going to be
working with Eva.
We also had to pay close attention to her body language.
When was the exact moment she was ready to respond to us if we were to call her
so that we could reinforce quick response to the cue? We also had to start
under conditions in which she could be successful. This may mean cueing her
when there were few distractions and when she was close to us initially. Sound familiar? This is basic recall training.
So while these elements of training overlap with what many
trainers already know, every time I watch this snippet of video my heart still
melts. It melts because I remember the feeling when she grabbed my hand to
bring me with her to go play with the towel. The thought that this orangutan
wanted me to join her makes my heart swell. Perhaps it is the very human like
quality of orangutan behavior that touched me so much. But having an animal
want you to participate is in my opinion, the highest compliment. She often sought me out and I found
myself drawn to her as much as “I think” she was drawn to me. I kept wanting to
visit her and have more sessions with her; and she would recognize me and
immediately come to me. Maybe it was just about good training. But I felt connected to this
individual. I grew more concerned for her well-being which in turn made me
think more and more about orangutans and their plight. And suddenly I found
myself really wanting to know more about the destruction of forests in Indonesia
for palm oil. These were things I thought I already knew about. But here I was
in Indonesia working hands on with orangutans and now I felt like I really should know more.
The more I learned, the more I realized how dire the
situation was. Beyond saving a species this was about helping a third world
country find a sustainable way to feed its people, build its economy; so that the
horrific things that were happening to orangutans (some stories too heartbreaking to
share) would not be a choice a person needs to make in order to feed his or her
family. I also realized these are the
kinds of issues that really deserve media attention. (Not the ones that currently seem to
get so much focus. The issues that are about targeting excellent zoological institutions questioning
their care about animals…..seriously? The biggest advocates I know for animal
welfare and wildlife conservation are zoo professionals.)
Yes, working free contact with orangutans is not the norm,
not without controversy, and there are many more aspects to discuss. However,
the experience for me was life changing. Certainly an excellent lesson in real
life application of learning theory principles, but most importantly the
personal connection with an individual animal motivated me to a higher level of
conservation action for a species on the brink of extinction.
As a person who works in zoological parks we
often speak of trying to help people connect and inspire conservation action. I
work with many different animals frequently, and every once in a while have
moments that are more moving than others.
I am still deeply impacted by that experience with Eva. I am intrigued by coming up with more ways we
can help others be equally moved in a way that is healthy, enriching and safe
for both animals and people. This Xbox Kinect idea is just one that has
potential in my opinion.
I hope you too have the opportunity to connect deeply with
some special animals and direct your energies into something that really needs your
support.
Here are Some Organizations Working to Save Orangutans- Visit Their Sites for Ways to Help
Barbara Heidenreich
www.AnimalTrainingFundamentals.com
Copyright 2016
Barbara Heidenreich has been a professional animal trainer since 1990. Her company Barbara’s Force Free Animal Training (www.BarbarasFFAT.com) provides animal training DVDs, books, webinars and workshops. She has been a featured speaker in over twenty countries and has been published in nine languages. Barbara works with the companion animal community and also consults on animal training in zoos.
Copyright 2016
Barbara Heidenreich has been a professional animal trainer since 1990. Her company Barbara’s Force Free Animal Training (www.BarbarasFFAT.com) provides animal training DVDs, books, webinars and workshops. She has been a featured speaker in over twenty countries and has been published in nine languages. Barbara works with the companion animal community and also consults on animal training in zoos.