Rachel Saunders

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• Focused on ‘Trunk Up’ command. Nissim allowed the target to be rubbed on his trunk. Alan will gradually move the target round to Nissim’s head • Nissim moving on command to the target and eager to impress Figure 3: Nissim showing 'trunk up' and allowing Alan to rub the target on the underside of his trunk BUTA • Short, sharp sessions • Introducing the foot target and the command ‘Lift’. Any foot movement was rewarded. • Opened lowest foot port in keeper gate to get her used to this being open i.e. her being able to see Alan’s legs. This unsettled her a little but she quickly realized it was not a threat and moved around the pen as requested • No gate charging or aggression at all • She went straight out no problem now Gate 12 is open, she seemed calmer now with the herd • One of the sessions was performed without Nissim in the building, she was a little concerned but once in the rhythm of the training session she responded well Conclusions- • Continue persisting with Nissim • Continue to encourage ‘Lift’ with Buta • Keepers and elephants learning the routine well and more confident with each day • Timing and positioning are key, especially for Buta to get the foot lift. DAY 4- Friday 23 rd October NISSIM • 3 sessions focusing on moving Nissim along the PC wall and through gates without charging them • ‘Trunk Up’ command repeated and gently increased the amount of times the target made contact with the underside of his trunk • Nissim drew himself closer to the PC wall and as the day progressed he allowed the target to move around the side of his trunk to his forehead. On occasion he did not lift his trunk at all and went straight to the head target • Excellent progression, his phobia is decreasing steadily and trust is being earnt BUTA
• 3 sessions focusing on moving Buta along the PC wall and through gates without charging them • Continued ‘target’ and ‘lift/foot’ commands. Alan encouraged Buta to work harder for the rewards and she is now lifting both front feet at any point on the PC wall. She can lift her feet quite high, but for now we will only open the lowest foot port until she learns to hold her foot in that position • Buta was a little unsettled when she did not understand, or her timing/positioning were not precise • Andy Fowler completed Buta’s final training session as the trainer. He successfully moved Buta along the PC wall, she remained calm and focused and responded to head target Figure 4: Buta performing Front Left Foot lift Figure 5: Buta performing Front Right Foot lift Figure 6: Buta performing FRF in foot port Figure 7: Buta performing FLF in foot port Conclusions- • All keepers practiced holding and positioning the 2 targets along the PC wall • Continued positive progression for both elephants and keepers. • Timing and positioning are key for Buta’s progression • Patience and persistence are key to build trust for Nissim • Discussed training post-Alan’s visit, if we are understaffed training sessions will not be performed but elephants will be held to target whilst opening gates to prevent elephants charging gates therefore promoting keeper safety. Training is most practical with three
Page 1 and 2: Protected Contact Elephant Training
Page 3: • Buta was trained in free contac
Page 7 and 8: • Andy and Chunky both getting to
Page 9 and 10: Protected Contact Training with Ala
Page 11 and 12: • 3 training sessions. Chunky and
Page 13 and 14: • Both elephants responding well
Page 15 and 16: Advise to other Keepers Starting PC
Page 17 and 18: North 3 5 Chute 6 7 9 2 1 4 8 16 A2
Page 19 and 20: Elephant: Day/Date Keeper Initials

Rachel Saunders

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