Shift Training @ Zoo Atlanta
Kenn Harwood, Zoo Atlanta’s Lead Keeper of Carnivores, wrote this update about Panda Shift Training:
When training our animals in front of the public, we are routinely asked to “make” the animal do something. The training we do with our animals is completely voluntary on the animals’ part, and we cannot “make” them do anything. We ask the animal to give us a desired behavior, and then it is up to the animal whether or not it wants to do it or not. If it performs the behavior we asked for, the animal will get a treat. All we can do if the animal decides not to give me the desired behavior, is to withhold the treat it would normally get for performing the behavior correctly. Today was a good example of that. A frustrating one, but a good one. All of our pandas, including Po, have been shift trained, or in other words, will shift into a new area when we ask them to. Three of our pandas excel at this behavior, and then there is Po. He really likes to rely on the “voluntary” aspect of the training. When he wants to shift, he is great, but when he doesn’t want to, good luck. Tonight was one of those nights when he didn’t feel like shifting. At around 4:00, the keepers begin shifting the pandas around in order to have the pandas where they will be overnight. Today, Lun Lun and Po were in the dayroom with the teepee climbing structure, and everything was progressing normally for a good close. Both Lun Lun and Po were at the door, waiting to be shifted into their normal sleeping den. Upon seeing this, I got everything ready for them as fast as I could. Unfortunately, when I went to shift Lun Lun and Po inside, Po had decided that he no longer wanted to shift, but instead wanted to climb and sit in the climbing structure. I knew I was in for it when I saw this. I repeatedly asked Po to shift with no results. I tried offering him his biscuits. I tried offering him his sweet potato. I offered him fresh bamboo. I even let Lun Lun back out with him to coax him in. All of these attempts were to no avail. Po was still planted in the top of the climbing structure. All of this wouldn’t be a big deal, but Xi Lan was supposed to be in this dayroom overnight. We normally put Lun Lun and Po in other sections of the building, so we don’t have to put bamboo out for them in a dayroom. We do this because of the enormous mess those two can make overnight which takes a very long time to clean up in the morning. Xi Lan and Yang Yang do not leave nearly the mess that Lun Lun and Po can, so we prefer to put them in the dayrooms overnight. It was now 5:00 and the exhibits were closing, and I was still trying to get Po to voluntarily shift to no avail. I was running out of time for the day, but I still had hope. I continued trying to get him to shift as I was cleaning the building. By now it was 5:45 and I had to decide to make other plans for the night, as Po was still planted at the top of the structure. By now I had conceded that he wasn’t going to shift for me, so I set Xi Lan up with bamboo in the other dayroom and Xi Lan shifted out beautifully for me. It is now 6:30, and he still hasn’t moved a muscle. I guess he didn’t want any training treats tonight. This is definitely one of those times that I had to remain calm by repeatedly reminding myself that all the training is voluntary on the animal’s part. I just hope he volunteers to shift for Shauna in the morning.
Source: Zoo Atlanta
