Click Play to Listen Now
Episode - 11 February 2020
Host: Barbara Heidenreich
Guest: Annette Pedersen, Animal Training Coordinator - Copenhagen Zoo
Education animals, animal ambassadors, children's zoo animals, and animals used in research can sometimes get the short end of the stick when it comes to choice and participation. Traditionally, many interactions with these animals have been based primarily on what the handler needs the animal to do. But what happens when we approach these interactions differently?
In this episode, I talk with Annette Pedersen of Copenhagen Zoo about using training to give animals more opportunities to voluntarily participate in handling, husbandry, education programs, and other activities. When animals have opportunities to participate and their behavior can influence what happens next, we can accomplish some pretty impressive training goals. But we may also see benefits that extend well beyond the behavior being trained.
We discuss how these approaches can influence animal welfare, educational messaging, and even the quality of research data. Annette shares examples involving guinea pigs, rabbits, llamas, snakes, tortoises, chickens, horses, cows, pigs, and other species, demonstrating why thoughtful training shouldn't be reserved for the large or charismatic animals in our care.
There are some great practical examples in this conversation, including voluntary handling of guinea pigs, recall training with rabbits, and injection training with pigs. We also talk about the 3Rs in animal research and how training can help improve the experiences of animals involved in research. And I answer listener questions about intermediate and terminal bridges
Recommended Citation:
Heidenreich, B. (Producer/Writer). (2020, February). Every Animal Counts! Training Education and Children’s Zoo Animals. [Audio Podcast]. Animal Training Fundamentals with Barbara Heidenreich. https://animaltrainingfundamentals.com/podcasts/educationanimals/
Video Examples Mentioned in this Episode:
Guinea pigs trained for voluntary handling for education programs at Copenhagen Zoo
Guinea pigs trained to vocalize on cue at Copenhagen Zoo
Pig injection training at Copenhagen Zoo
Rabbits trained to recall at Copenhagen Zoo - famous video!
Links to Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Definition of 3Rs (Danish Site in English and Danish)
Get Posters from 3R about Mouse, Rat and Rabbit Grimace Scales
3Rs How to Pick Up a Mouse Video and Posters
Training Animals for Euthanasia Course (Members of AnimalTraining Fundamentals.com access only)
There’s More to Explore
Discover courses, articles, tools, and resources across Animal Training Fundamentals
Guest Bio:
Annette Pedersen started working in Copenhagen Zoo in 1989 as a part of the Danish keepers’ education. After finishing her education in 1992, she got hired for the marine mammal section (Harbor Seals and California Sea lions), which also housed other animals like penguins, Malayan tapirs, barbirusa, etc. Here she helped developing the marine mammal training program until 2008, where she moved to the Elephant section working on transferring the Elephants from free contact to protected contact (PC). Later that same year she got the position as Animal Training Coordinator of Copenhagen Zoo.
Since 2008 her job has been to develop/expand the training skills of the keepers at Copenhagen Zoo, as well as managing animal behavior and training within a variety of species and challenges.
Since 2009 she helped develop the Danish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (DAZA) animal training course, which is still held once a year in Denmark.
She serves the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) as Chair for the Animal Training Working Group and as member of the Animal Welfare Working group. She is also an instructor for the EAZA animal training courses under the EAZA Academy.
2014-2016 served on the board of the Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA), and today serves as ABMA EU liaison helping planning another European ABMA conference in 2020 in Beekse Bergen, Holland!
Guest Links:
About Barbara Heidenreich
Barbara Heidenreich is a zoologist and animal training and behavior consultant specializing in species managed in zoological facilities. She earned her B.S. in Zoology from the University of California, Davis. Barbara consults internationally with zoos, universities, veterinary professionals, and conservation programs and has worked onsite with more than 90 facilities in 30 countries.
In addition to her consulting work, Barbara serves as an Adjunct Instructor at Texas A&M University and operates AnimalTrainingFundamentals.com, a comprehensive online education program offering hundreds of courses on animal training and behavior. Her work focuses on applying behavior analysis to improve animal welfare through building behavior, contingency analysis, genuine choice, and constructional approaches to behavior change.
Barbara has authored two books, contributed to five textbooks, and co-authored two Fear Free® Avian Certification Courses. She advises the Animal Training Working Group and Parrot Taxon Advisory Group for the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria and serves as Co-Chair and founding member of the Zoological Association of America’s Animal Training Committee. She has contributed to conservation projects including the Kakapo Recovery Program and the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation and has received seven awards from zoological trade organizations recognizing her contributions to the field.
Keep the Learning Going: Join My Mailing List
Get notified about new live-streams, events, workshops and more!
BECOME A MEMBER FOR EXTENSIVE BENEFITS
