#lemurtraining

[barbaraheidenreich]

The lemurs at Bioparc Valencia are chillaxin after a great day of learning with delegates from the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The Animal Training Working Group’s first conference affiliated workshop was a big success. Delegates enjoyed hands on training sessions, an elephant training demonstration and many video examples to explain how to train and to inspire. However, the greatest inspiration was watching participants reach training goals with naïve animals in just one session. Training doesn’t have to be difficult. And just a few simple behaviors can make a big difference in improving animal welfare. We are very grateful to everyone who participated and especially those who helped make this happen…we are talking to you team Biopark Valencia!! Don’t forget to join us tonight in the Ghana Room at 18:30 to learn how training can facilitate scientific studies and conservation programs and how zoos are helping. #eaza2019 #bioparcvalenica #orangutanconservation #lemurtraining #trainingforscience (at Bioparc Valencia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2jV8WUF6QY/?igshid=1ponf1438232f

[barbaraheidenreich]

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This lemur had a long reinforcement history for jumping on shoulders. The team often had a hard team keeping him off of their shoulders or getting him to leave. This is a very condensed clip of a session of teaching him there is value in staying on a perch and also working on redirecting when he is tempted to leap to a shoulder. I also wanted to test if we had built up enough reinforcement history that he would leave a shoulder when prompted. However, he didn’t even want to offer leaping to a shoulder by the end of the session, which is a good thing! In an ideal world, team members would watch his behavior and reinforce for staying on perches and catch him in the act of doing the right thing before he misbehaves. We hope to avoid asking an animal to present undesired behavior first in order to present desired to gain reinforcers so this pattern doesn’t get repeated, but it was likely keepers might find themselves in this situation at some point. And for some, being on the shoulder may not be an undesired behavior, just one they would prefer only happens when cued and that the animal will leave when cued. This is why practicing the behavior of leaving the shoulder can have value as well. Do you want to train lemurs with me, Annette Pedersen and Dr Kirstin Anderson Hanson? Join us at the EAZA Intro to Animal Training Workshop in Valencia, Spain Sept 17 https://www.eaza.net/assets/Uploads/Academy/Courses/TTZP-FLYER-2.pdf?inf_contact_key=5cd462ba5e3daca2128edbcbdcfc7367 To learn more about solving behavior problems with zoo animals join me in Warsaw, Poland Sept 29 https://ethoplanet.com/en/kursy/seminar-with-barbara-heidenreich/ #lemurtraining #addressingbehaviorproblems #animaltrainingworkshop https://www.instagram.com/p/B2MwC_RFWeL/?igshid=1jbf79yadvwrn

[barbaraheidenreich]

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Some animals make it easy to give them attention by presenting desired behaviors and others demand it by presented undesired behaviors, such as displacing other animals. To address the latter, it is helpful to train those animals who drive others away that there is a specific good behavior they can do that will earn lots of reinforcers. A simple one is stationing. Part of the criteria is that staying on the station while other animals are offered desired items (like food) results in even more good things for the animal who wants to displace. (And chasing another animal away never pays off.) This helps teach the so called “troublemaker” what to do to earn desired items and it helps build confidence in the other members of the group as they learn they will no longer be chased away when offered something. They learn now, that animal always hangs out on his station waiting for goodies. #blackandwhiteruffedlemur #lemur #lemurtraining #prosimian #stationtraining (at Santa Ana Zoo) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByLC7DQljco/?igshid=78s4h9dtzdq4

[barbaraheidenreich]

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👊🙌 Lemur keeper secret handshake #lemur #ringtailedlemur #lemurtraining @zoopoznan (at Zoo Poznań Official Site)