Kolmårdens Wildlife Park is a zoo located south of Stockholm on the rocks of Sweden. Covering 370 acres they can call themselves the biggest zoo in Scandinavia. The zoo doesn’t have many species but the species they have are either housed in quite big groups or in mixed species exhibits. Read more…
Top image: Scientists create embryos, hope to save near-extinct rhino For every species in a zoo there is usually an introduction strategy. Some of the introductions are present in, for example, the EAZA guidelines for particular species described underneath. For a long time I’ve been wondering if this is really the Read more…
Cover Photo: Successful animal training is about Communication and Motivation. Trainer: Anette Olsson, photographer: Björn Johansson. Orsa Björnpark. Is the animal you’re training responding to your requests? Doing the behaviour, as it were? Great! That means two things. You’ve successfully communicated what you want the animal to do, and The Read more…
For years I’ve always thought choice and control is a cool way to train the animals. Only recently I wondered, what does choice and control even mean? I asked this question to a well respected animal trainer and he gave me an answer to think about. He said it’s an Read more…
About a year ago, I received an invitation to be a keynote speaker at an animal training conference all the way in Australia. I was super excited and told everyone about it. I accepted immediately and started making plans. In November 2018 I went to Melbourne to be part of Read more…
Recently I came back from a trip to Australia and New Zealand both for presentations and workshops. I had a blast! Sharing experiences and training techniques is one of my passions. To change the welfare of animals in the zoo became my focus a while ago and especially after I Read more…
Recently I passed by the dolphinarium in Kolmårdens Wildlife Park, I haven’t been there for a while so its always fun to go and see the animals. A great enrichment plan was recently applied and the trainers were excited to tell me about it. I decided to stay afterwards and Read more…
We asked if Tricia Dees, past president of the ABMA, could tell us a bit more about her experiences. She came with a great story where she shares some of her own thoughts in the challenges she has faced over time. As trainers, we all know the value in going Read more…
As trainers we want to acknowledge every good behaviour the animal and reinforce accordingly. Within the course I have been given we talk very much about that the A-antecedent in the ABC structure doesn’t always come from us. It can be many different situations and scenarios. There for we have Read more…
The other day I received 2 books from Gabrielle Harris who works at Ushaka SeaWorld in South Africa (Read her guest blog HERE). The explained a situation where she tried to train a horse but the horse had trained her instead. The animal had given her a lesson and in Read more…
