Behavioural Husbandry Flashcards
What is a primary reinforcer
Something an animal finds instinctively rewarding
What is a secondary reinforcer
Something that wasn’t instinctively rewarding but gains value after it is associated with a primary reinforcer
What is the purpose of the BHP?
For overall wellbeing
Providing behavioural choices
What is enrichment
Providing opportunities for the expression of species appropriate behaviours and to decrease/eliminate undesirable behaviour
What are the guiding principles of the enrichment program?
All taxa represented in the collection considered
Incorporated into daily routines (not extra)
Based upon biological, social and cognitive needs; contingent upon encouraging species-specific behaviour and mediated by animals history. (proactive, not reactive)
Improve social interactions and success of breeding programs through the promotion of normal social interactions and physical and psychological development
Safety and risk carefully considered
Overall goal of enrichment
Encourage species-specific behaviours
Give choice within the environment
Prevent/reduce undesirable behavior such as stereotypies
What are the 5 classification categories of enrichment? give an example
Feeding - e.g. scatter food
Play - using objects without purpose
Occupational - task orientated devices
Sensory - spices
Environmental - nesting material
What do you need to encourage a specific behaviour?
Motivation
Opportunity
How do you prioritize what behaviours to encourage?
Animal needs - how important it is to them, seasonal,ethograms and time budget analysis
Feasibility - exisiting/potential resources, management constraints
Why is it important to plan enrichment?
Provides clear direction
Allows team to agree on approach
Understanding of necessary resources
Prepares you to implement more effectively
Ensures proper review and approval
Why is it necessary to complete a TZ Enrichment approval form for new items?
Outlines behavioural goals
Addresses potential safety concerns
Ensures communication between keepers and appropriate units
New keepers become aware of what has been approved or not
Once approved, how many times does a new device need to be observed?
In use 3 times for at least 5 minutes
What are the general safety concerns of enrichment?
Body or body part entanglement
Injury by device
Ingestion of device or parts
Damage to exhibit
What are safety considerations of an individual enrichment device? e.g. when making it…
Screws and non-toxic glue used instead of nails
Non-toxic paint
Free of small removable and swallowable parts
Animal parts/excretions approved by vets (e.g. fur, urine)
Appropriate size holes
Watch for ingestion
Natural materials used. Plastic/nylon with caution
Single, closed link, short chains. Cover if necessary, use swivels at attachment points
Chain/rope strong enough to support weight of animal and device - check integrity daily, replace when frayed
No entanglement risk, don’t create nooses
Caging/fencing strong enough to support hanging items
Cardboard boxes free of tape, staples
Paper bags free of strings, plastic or inner liners
Why is documentation important?
AZA requirement
Provides proof it was given
Share information between staff and institutions
Find patterns/trends
Shows progress, gains institutional support
Creates institutional memory
How is the response to ED assessed? (What would you consider to determine success of ED)
Time spent interacting
Number of visits to device
Relative use
Whether natural behaviours encouraged
Motivation to use/interact with it
What information is documented on enrichment log sheets?
Date offered
Type of ED (eg. puzzle feeder, scents)
Intended goal (FPOSE)
Keeper initial
Minimum requirements for achieving overall goal for the species
What does 1-5 on the direct evidence mean?
1: Interacts inappropriately (dangerous, aggressive, unsafe)
2: Avoids (passive or active)
3: Interacts tentatively (brief contact, no specific behavioural response)
4: Interacts appropriately but not according to goal behaviours
5: Interacts appropriately with goal behaviours achieved
What does 1-3 mean on the Indirect Evidence scale?
1: No evidence of interaction (item hasn’t moved)
2: Some evidence of interaction (moved, not all food removed or item remains intact)
3: Significant interaction noted, considered successful
Why is evaluation important?
Objectively determines effectiveness of ED on behaviour
Provides accountability that its being offered according to schedule and guidelines
Checks if all behavioural needs are being addressed
Checks if goals are being met
What trends do you look for in evaluation process?
Frequency of delivery
Animals response
Relative success towards goal intentions
What would you consider during evaluation process?
Are behavioural needs being addressed or met?
How long does it hold their interest? (min/hr/days)
Who interacted with it the most?
Is it enough for all in the group?
Do all animals in the group use it?
How often can it be provided and still elicit a response?
When can it be removed?
Appropriate balance of categories?
Worth the effort? (cost/benefit analysis)
Was any initiative associated with aggression?
Were the levels acceptable?
Any safety concerns?
Increase natural behaviour?
Decrease undesirable behaviour?
How is readjustment done?
Evaluating trends in the data
Goals and plan considered
Adjusted if necessary
What are natural history questions to be asked when setting goals?
Habitat Self-maintenance behaviours Activity period Environment type Threats Primary sensory modalities Social aspects Breeding Locomotion methods Diet and feeding
What would you consider about an animals individual history when planning enrichment?
Information in ZIMS
Medical issues
Behavioural issues
Parent or hand reared?
Exhibit at previous institution
Habitat type and social grouping
What would you consider about an animals exhibit when planning enrichment?
Size of exhibit/holding
Containment barriers (moat, chainlink)
Are all components used? (can it hide?)
How functional is the exhibit?
Allow natural behaviours?
How do they interact with exhibit elements?
Where/how is food provided?
Prefernce between feeding sites?
Contain elements of novelty? (weather, furniture changes)
Can animal exhibit normal patters of behaviour?
Can animal make choices about where and how it spends its time? Control over:
- Acquisition of food
- Hiding places
- Protection from elements
Hazards in enclosure?
What are the opportunities to forage, breed, socialize
What information is required in the Training Proposal and Shaping form?
Date Animal Zoo area and Supervisor Trainer Assistance requested Reason Priority How does it increase welfare? Welfare implications? Behaviour goal Reinforcers (primary, preferences, secondary) Cue PPE required Location of training Impact on public Special concerns or instructions Work required by maintenance Approximations Comments from Gr. 4, Sup, BHC
What is positive reinforcement?
Adding something to the environment that the animal likes in order to increase the likelihood that the behaviour is going to be repeated
What are the ABC’s of behaviour
Antecedent
Behaviour
Consequence
What is negative reinforcement?
Removing something from the environment that the animal dislikes in order to increase the likelihood that the behaviour is going to be repeated
(use of this needs to be approved by BHC via TP&S form)
What is positive punishment?
Addition of a negative or aversive stimulus after the performance of an undesirable/incorrect behaviour to decrease the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated
(any instance of this required an Animal Incident report to be completed by the BHC)
What is negative punishment?
Removal of a positive/desirable stimulus after the performance of an undesirable/incorrect behaviour to decrease the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated
What are the risks of positive punishment?
Injury to animal or keeper
Displaced aggression
Level of aversie may need to be increased as animals habituate
Development of fear towards keepers
Aggression can breed aggression so the animal turns aggressive towards trainer
Aggression of animal can become focused on all trainers/keepers
What documents are relevant to training?
Animal Training and Shaping
Branch Instructions for Animal Training
Training Log
Behaviour Sheet
Handling Guidelines for Aggressive Animals
New Trainer Checklist
Guidelines For Trainers
How can you be safe while training PC species?
Be aware of animals body position at all times
-avoid unnecessary contact (bite, swipe, grab etc) with trainer, others or equipment
Minimize contact through protective barrierss
Large carnivores not hand fed
(Exceptions require written approval from BHC and unit Sup)
Carry Bear Spray
Use 2 staff if required
Acts of aggression not tolerated
Report to Sup. and other training team members
Record in training records
Team to discuss promptly and take action to prevent reoccurrence - suspend training?
How do you maintain safety when training free contact/program species?
Be aware of maximum potential injury risk to self and others
Acts of aggression not tolerated
Report to Sup. and other training team members
Record in training records
Team to discuss promptly and take action to prevent reoccurrence - suspend training?
If complex or safety issues - use 2 staff if required
Be aware of eye injury when working with aggressive birds, adjust training methods accordingly
What information is record on Training Log?
Date
Keeper Initial
Behaviour
Rating 0-3: Performance Progress Attitude Overall
How can aggressive behaviours be learned?
Inadvertent reinforcement
Observation of other animals
What would you consider, what are your options when handling animals that are continually aggressive during keeper interactions, training, encounters?
Understand the triggers
Move to temporary or permanent PC
Stop it before it starts
Change or remove motivating factors
Ensure no inadvertent R+
Remain calm, ignore, recognize signals in body language
Train incompatible behaviour (DRI)
Train absence of aggressive behaviour by R+ any other behaviour (DRO)
Seek assistance from other trainers, TAs, BHC
What are the 10 Laws of Shaping?
Raise criteria in small increments
Train/shape one criteria at a time
Put current level of response ona variable ratio schedule of R+ before adding or raising criteria
Relax old criteria when shaping new criterion/aspect of behaviour
Stay ahead: plan so you know what to R+ next if sudden progress
Dont change trainers midstream (one shaper per behaviour)
If one shaping procedure is not eliciting progress, find another
Don’t interrupt a training session gratuitously (+ punishment)
Behaviour deteriorates = go back to kindergaten
End on a high, quit while you’re ahead
What is the difference between positive and negative?
Positive = adding something to the environment
Negative = removing something from the environment
What is the differene between reinforcement and punishment?
Reinforcement = increase the likelihood of behaviour happening again
Punishment = decrease the likelihood of behaviour happening again
What are the guiding principles of the training program?
Consider all taxa represented in the collection and be incorporated into daily routines
Understand each animals role in the collection in order to set suitable goals and select appropriate training methods
Proactively use training to improve husbandry, vet procedures and captive management
Enhance our guests experience by providing opportunities to experience animals that are true ambassadors for their wild counterparts
What are examples of undesirable behaviour?
Coprophagy Regurgitation Hair pulling, Self-injury Stereotyped movements
What are examples of desirable behaviour?
Active exploration
Play
Affiliation
Foraging
What are examples of feeding/foraging enrichment?
Hunting Caching Rooting Browsing Foraging Digging for food
What are examples of play enrichment?
Carrying objects
Using objects without purpose
Non food toys
Social interaction
What are examples of sensory enrichment?
Scent marking Olfactory inspection Visual inspection Tactile inspection Auditory inspection Social groupings
What are examples of occupational enrichment?
Chewing
Object manipulation
Task oriented devices
Grooming/rubbing
What are examples of environmental enrichment?
Burrowing Nesting/bedding/denning Digging Climbing Wallowing Locomotion Perching
What are the cons to providing furniture?
Make observations more difficult = problems easier to miss
Reduces hygiene by obstructing cleaning with new complex surfaces
Access in case of emergency more difficult
Constitute a threat in themselves
(Sharp, obstructing flight path, loose ropes)
If it can be dismantled:
- Ingested = hardware disease
- Used as a weapon
- Be cut by it
- Made structurally unsafe - them, other animals, people
- Be shocked or electrocuted
- Escape tool
Increase aggression
What benefits (for an animal) should an enrichment program have?
Increase desirable behaviour/activity
Decrease in abnormal/stereotypic behaviour
Positive changes in activity patterns
Increase use of space
Increase in locomotory activity (climb, swim, fly)
Increase social interaction, decrease aggression: bonding, grooming, relaxing near others
What is the definition of animal welfare?
An animals collective physical and mental and emotional states over a period of time and is measured on a continuum of good to poor
What are the 5 domains/opportunities to thrive that TZ uses as the framework?
Nutrition
Species suitable diet provided in a way that ensures physical and mental health
Environment
Opportunities to self-maintain and promote comfort
Health
Access to a wellness program, rapid diagnosis and treatment
Behaviour
Social opportunities and provision for species appropriate and diverse behaviours
Mental domains
Choice and control
What are the components of the animal welfare program at TZ?
Animal welfare assessment process
Quality of Life Checklists for geriatric animals
Education
What are the 5 opportunities to thrive?
For a well-balanced diet:
Fresh water and a suitable, species specific diet will be provided in a way that ensures full health and vigour both behaviourally and physically
To self-maintain
An appropriate environment including shelter and species specific substrates that encourages opportunities to self-maintain
For optimal health
Providing supportive environments that increase the likelihood of healthy individuals as well as rapid diagnosis and treatment of injury or disease
To express species-specific behaviour
Quality spaces and appropriate social groupings will be provided that encourage species specific behaviours at natural frequencies and of appropriate diversity while meeting social and developmental needs of each species in the collection
For choice and control
Providing conditions in which animals can exercise control and make choices to avoid suffering and distress, and make behaviour meaningful
What are the 5 domains?
Nutrition
Appropriate consumption of nutritious food is an ongoing pleasurable experience
Environment
Benign conditions offer ongoing comfort and safety
Physical health
Ongoing good physical health secures robustness and vitality
Behaviour
Activities involving variety, choice and benign challenge are rewarding
Mental or Affective states
Survival related negative experiences are minimal and comfort, pleasure, interest and confidence are common positive experiences
What is the proposed AZA animal welfare framework?
Nutrition
Suitable, species appropriate diet will be provided in a way that ensures full health and vigour, both behaviourally and physically
Environment
Animals will experience an appropriate environment that encourages opportunities to self-sustain and promotes ongoing comfort and safety
Health
Animals will have the opportunity to experience good physical health including access to a wellness program as well as rapid diagnosis and treatment of injury.disease to ensure ongoing robustness and vitality through all life stages
Behaviour
Quality spaces and appropriate social groupings will be provided that encourage species appropriate behaviours at natural frequencies and of appropriate diversity while meeting social and developmental needs of each species in the collection
Mental or Affective states
Conditions will be provided in which animals will have the opportunity to experience a predominance of positive emotional states and minimize negative survival related experiences and emotional states
What are the 4 primary kinds of learning animals use?
Habituation
Decrease in the intensity or probability of a reflex response as the result of repeated exposure to a stimulus that elicits that response
Classical conditioning
Pairing an unconditioned stimulus with a neutral stimulus. Through repeated pairing, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus and elicits the same response as the unconditioned stimulus
Operant conditioning
Process by which operant learning occurs: consequences result in an increased/decreased frequency of the same type of behaviour under similar motivational and environmental conditions in the future
Imprinting
Type of automatic learning, typically when young
What is the TZ framework for animal welfare?
Nutrition – a species suitable diet provided in a way that ensures physical and mental health
Environment – opportunities to self-maintain and promote comfort
Health – access to a wellness program, rapid diagnosis and treatment
Behaviour – social opportunities and provision for species appropriate and diverse behaviours
Mental domains - choice and control
