Tiger Training Gone Viral

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Episode 04 -  July 2019

Host: Barbara Heidenreich

Guest: Annette Pedersen: Animal Training Coordinator - Copenhagen Zoo

​Where did all those cool ideas for training tigers to cooperate in medical care come from? I know a lot of my inspiration came from some fantastic training I saw years ago at Copenhagen Zoo. Since then, their training has gone viral with video clips of urination on cue, using sleeves for injection training and tail blood draws. Training coordinator Annette Pedersen shares how it all started and details of the shaping plans to groundbreaking behaviors that are now inspiring trainers around the world.


Here are some videos mentioned in this episode:

​This video went viral! You can also see the sleeve in action and the port used for accessing the tail.

​The tiger training early on in the program. This sleeve was installed shortly after for safety. The training went so quickly and effectively the tiger fell asleep with the paw still extended after the injection.


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!

Links:

Copenhagen Zoo

Copenhagen Zoo on Facebook

Copenhagen Zoo on Instagram

Events:

September 17, 2019 ANIMAL TRAINING WORKSHOP  EAZA– VALENCIA, SPAIN

​October 22-25, 2019 ANIMAL TRAINING: UNDERSTANDING AND MANAGING ANIMAL BEHAVIOR ATHENS, GREECE

March 24-26, 2020 EAZA ANIMAL WELFARE FORUM Apenhuel, The Netherlands

​ABMA Annual Conference 2020 in Holland


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