#supportzoos

[shipwrecksamantha]

There’s a new post up on the blog! Head on over to www.shipwrecksamantha.com to learn about the things zookeepers hear every day. #lifeofazookeeper #zookeeperartist #zookeeper #zookeeperlife #zookeeperslife #zoos #zoolife #zoolifestyle #zookeepers #zoophotography #zooblog #wildlifeconservation #animallover #animalloversunite #supportzoos https://www.instagram.com/p/By_kIrWHHIL/?igshid=6xq9up56gdvs

[bryanbachar]

It's those bare necessities....Just pondering mine. What are yours? #bears #animals #bryanbachar #supportzoos #nature #thesimplethings #getoutside #lovetheworld #planetearth #smile #thinkpositive #morethanyou #family #onelove #junglebook #sfzoo #SF https://www.instagram.com/p/CEmx3znhJSa/?igshid=1uqinv0lf1shm

[claireforelephants]

Contact us @claireforelephants​ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr for your questions and concerns! We are always happy to claire-ify. 

[beuktv]

@lincolnparkzoo with my sweetie for 60th Annual Meeting! #zoolife #supportzoos #lpzoo https://ift.tt/2MNWd6r

[claireforelephants]

A Sacred Trust

The journey to gaining another’s trust is a long, but rewarding one, if successful. The same is true for gaining the trust of an elephant. One of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had was gaining the full mutual trust of an African Elephant named Omma, a juvenile female. Through countless training sessions over multiple years, her caretakers, including myself, worked up to performing eye exams on her as a part of her regular health assessments.

The process began with introducing close proximity of the keeper to Omma’s head area. Though this may appear to be the smallest of gestures, this is where the greatest of efforts begin in laying down the foundation of trust. Gaining her tolerance of this closeness was consistently rewarded through positive reinforcement. Trainers very carefully rewarded her with her favorite treats, such as apples and carrots, for behaviors they wanted from Omma. They ignored behaviors they did not want, such as leaning away from the keeper coming closer. A side note, but an important one, is that punishment of any kind is never used in accredited facilities.

Once this groundwork was laid, the next phase began. This included small steps like raising a hand towards Omma. Overtime, the hand was held nearer to her and eventually hovered over her skin by a few inches. Once Omma was used to this, it was time to actually touch her. The verbal cue given to Omma was “touch” and if she did not move away, touch was proceeded with. This gives Omma the choice in the matter because if she does not want to be touched, she will let us know by moving away or breaking stillness. This was taught to her throughout the training process.

Once Omma understood and did not move when the cue was given, touch began on her ear flap. This is because it would be too much too soon to start at the vulnerable eye area which is sensitive to elephants just like it is for humans. Again, we were building her trust in working towards the eye. The touch duration began quicker than the snap of a finger. Overtime, with successful steps, touch duration was increased as well as moving towards the face and eye area.

I will never forget the moment Omma allowed me to touch the area around her eye. So much so that she allowed me to cup her eye lid and maneuver it from side to side. This was a groundbreaking moment in her training. It is crucial that the elephants within human-care facilities are trained for health examinations like this. That way in the case of a potential eye ailment, they will allow their keepers and vet staff to examine it as well as treat it.

Gaining an elephant’s trust is the combination of immense amounts of team effort, limitless patience, and the ability to read their behavior and respond to it properly through strategic training. At all times, our respect for the animal comes first. Keepers want their animals to feel empowered and in control of their environment. The foundation to maintaining that goal is through building a relationship of trust with the animal.

Achieving this milestone with Omma was an absolute honor and I am so grateful to her for teaching me about the beauty of this type of trust with such a remarkable species.

[claireforelephants]

The Benefits of Elephants in Human-Care Facilities

Human-care facilities, such as zoos and sanctuaries, have long been a topic of debate in regard to the housing of elephants. Though there are still many facilities who do not meet the proper standards of animal welfare, there are 238 Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) facilities that do.

In order to be accredited by AZA, facilities must meet the highest standards of animal welfare to date. Some refer to them as having the “golden standard.” Furthermore, the work does not stop at achieving accreditation. Facilities are subject to regular inspections in order to maintain their accreditation. This includes keeping up with the consistently evolving standards of animal welfare.

As far as AZA facilities are concerned, the benefits of housing elephants are plentiful. Here are the top five reasons:

1)     Human-care facilities provide a platform for education and research to animal scientists which furthers the understanding of and knowledge about the species.

2)     They allow for personal connection between the elephants and guests that inspire people to care about the species. This is paired with providing education about elephants and raising awareness about their conservation needs.

3)     The elephants receive the highest quality of veterinary and husbandry care that sustains their health and life expectancy.

4)     The elephants are safe from threats in the wild such as poaching, human-animal conflict, fragmentation, and habitat loss.

5)     Many facilities contribute to wild-based conservation efforts by allocating funds, support, and research to aid the survival of wild populations.

So, how can you help human-care facilities to continue this critical work? Visit one! An AZA accredited one, of course. Your support contributes to the operation of these facilities and the work they do. Each admission matters and makes a difference for the lives of elephants. But whether you can visit one or not, you can also raise awareness about their importance by spreading the word, on and off the web.

On your next visit to an AZA facility, tag us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter at @claireforelephants and tell us something you learned about elephants! You can also use the hashtag #claireforelephants to grab our attention.

Follow this link below to learn more about AZA and their standards for animal welfare:

https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2332/awc_introduction.pdf