#raytraining

Worthy of a repost 😊In the past I shared a spotted ray pouncing on a bouy target at a training demo at San Antonio Zoo. Cool things happening in the world of aquatics training #raytraining #aquaticstraining #targettraining #nashvillezoo #nashvilleaazk https://www.instagram.com/p/B0v6i6hnkj2/?igshid=6j3n9chvuc80

Aquatic animals are smarter than most people think. They can learn to do things like target, station and load into hammocks for voluntary weighing (all goals this team has for these rays) However just like other species they can also be sensitive to new things in their environment so we need to introduce those things in a way that doesn’t evoke a fear response. Sometimes habituation can help, but even better tools are systematic desensitization, pairing desired consequences with the new item and plenty of control on the animals part to approach or retreat. When introduced well, the animal is more likely to engage with the object to allow the opportunity to reinforce that action and work towards the behavior goals. #rays #raytraining #aquatictraining # targettraining #stationtraining #zooanimal #zooanimaltraining #animalwelfare