If you ever need to clicker train a giraffe.....part 2

The leg stretches ended her training session. And it was time for the giraffes to be turned out in their larger enclosure. We chatted about training for a few minutes while all the switches were made, then headed off to another part of the enclosure with our treat buckets. Charlotte and I followed Lisa up a flight of wooden steps to a feeding platform. Two large grain bins were hung over the top of the fencing and several of the giraffes were already congregated there sharing in the treats the keepers had left out for them. When we appeared, the rest of the giraffes came over. We were the center of attention for nine giraffes. I felt as though I was on the Dawn Treader (C.S. Lewis readers will know the reference). The giraffes peered over the edge of the platform. I could imagine myself leaning over the rail of a wooden sailing ship while the most enchanting sea monsters vied for my attention. The older males were the tallest. They could peer down at us, and if we weren't very careful, monopolize all the attention. The youngest giraffes, not quite two years old, could just barely reach us as they stretched their necks way up.

They were all wonderfully tolerant of each other. There was no pushing or shoving. No resource guarding. No dangerous displays that might have gotten a giraffe kicked, or a human knocked off a feeding platform. Just nine charming sea monsters reaching over the deck of our "sailing ship" for treats. They put out their long purple tongues and took carrots and bananas ever so gently from our hands. I made sure to reach down and give the youngsters their share, but you couldn't overlook the skyscraper males. I was suddenly aware that one of those giraffes was ever so cunningly moving me to the back of the feeding platform. He'd done it so elegantly, I wasn't even aware of it, but he'd maneuvered me away from the other giraffes so I could deliver treats just to him!

I could hear Kay Laurence's voice in my head saying: "none of that, my lad!" With my next treat, I remembered my horse handling skills and extended my hand out well away from my body as I took a step forward. He shifted back to take the treat. Two treats later and his head was back where it belonged on his side of the fence, and I could reach the smaller giraffes without this giant being there first.

Our buckets were beginning to empty out so the remaining contents were dumped into the larger grain bins, and we left the giraffes to finish their treats without us. Again, I was impressed by how pleasantly they shared with one another. With horses you would expect some jostling for prime position, and for certain individuals to be pushed away from the treats, but the giraffes shared in the most egalitarian of ways. We could all learn a lot from their good manners!

The rest of the day was filled with even more treats. We were invited in to the lemur enclosure. Now there was an experience. I was feeding cranberries off my hand to an elderly gentleman lemur. He put his tiny hand around my finger and very gently steadied my hand so he could pick up the cranberries more easily. His hand was such a perfect miniature version of my own.

Lisa was a superb tour guide. She was incredibly knowledgeable about all the animals. I wish everyone could have the opportunity to visit the zoo with her. You would come away with a much greater appreciation for the zoo, their staff, and the animals in their care. Lisa, thank you for an amazing visit!

Our day ended up back at the giraffes and another round of giving treats up on the feeding platform. I was in heaven, thinking things couldn't get much better than this, but they did!

The next morning Amy brought one of the larger males into the training area. We moved from the enclosure where we'd worked the day before into the barn to another elevated feeding platform. There I was turned loose to free shape anything I wanted! We'd talked about the pilates pose the day before and how beneficial it can be for the horses. It seemed like an easy choice to teach to this giraffe, especially since he was known for being a little pushy on the feeding platform. The pose would take him up and away from me to get clicked (or in his case - whistled.)

I began with what was essentially a leave it. Take your head away from me, and I will blow the whistle and give you a treat. The lesson unfolded just as it would for a horse. I made sure to feed him out well away from my body, something I know Amy was watching closely. If I didn't have good food delivery mechanics that kept him out of my space, I would never have been given this opportunity.

I went through a round of treats, then stepped back to discuss what I was doing, and to reload my pockets. I did another round of straight leave it. I was still in the gawking stage of: "I'm clicker training a giraffe!" But as I refilled my pockets a second time, I began to think more analytically. How was the giraffe handling this session? Was there anything brewing emotionally that needed to be nipped in the bud? Was he getting overly excited, frustrated? I had a good training loop going. Was it clean enough to shift my criterion? And if so to what? And how would he handle that?

I was going to be giving a presentation on the microshaping strategy in a couple of hours. I began to think that perhaps I should try modeling what I was going to be teaching. In the next round of training I alternated between shaping a giraffe version of the pose, and having him target.

Jackpot! For me, that is. He'd been sort of, maybe figuring out what I wanted. Now he knew! His head drew back like a giant crane lifting up to the top of a skyscraper. He arched his sea monster neck in a graceful pose, whistle/treat. Then again, and again. The movement was very distinctive and there was no trace of learning uncertainty. I gave him his target to touch, whistle/treat. We made a tight, clean loop of this, then went back to the pose. What would a giraffe pose look like? He was showing me?

I have no idea what this line of training would turn into with a giraffe. What Amy and her team were interested in was introducing him to the "show me something new?" game. Having him experiment with his great long neck was an easy way for him to explore this concept. And it gave Amy an opportunity to see how the microshaping strategy worked.

We moved from the giraffes to the zebras. They might look more like the species I'm used to than the giraffes, but their behavior was much more like the truly wild animals that they are. There were four or five zebras in a large enclosure. During the training sessions the keepers paired up so that each zebra had a handler and a spotter. The zebras came over to the fence and worked with their assigned keeper. I watched each pair work and then discussed with the keepers any details that the horse work might add that would be useful. Several of the zebras were quite sophisticated clicker stars, and were very much at ease with the close proximity of the trainers. With these zebras the trainers worked primarily on body targeting - present your shoulder, your nose, etc. I liked the way the keepers changed how they held the target to cue different behaviors. The target end cued the nose. The stick end cued the shoulder so there was no ambiguity on which body part was wanted.

With one of the more timid zebras food delivery was an issue. Her treats had to be tossed on the ground, but she knew the game and was better than most dogs at tracking the pellet and grabbing it as it rolled down the hill away from her.

The zoo visit drove home yet again the importance of making sure that you have solid treat delivery whether it is fed from the hand, from a dust pan, or dropped onto the ground. If this zebra had not known how to track her treat as it rolled over the ground, she would have quickly become frustrated and left the training session. Instead she remained engaged with her keeper who began to use the microshaping strategy to ease her a little further into the lesson.

What intrigued me throughout this visit was how familiar all of the training was. And also how well thought out and organized the sessions were. They were for a purpose - the safe handling of a wild species. The keepers weren't trying to turn these animals into pets. They weren't teaching them cute tricks to entertain the crowds. They were using the training to make the lives of these animals safer and less stressful. It was a good reminder of what the real core of this work can do to enhance the welfare of the animals that are in our care.