Training a Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) for Voluntary Foot Radiographs at Dubai Safari Park
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Individual
1.2. Housing
1.3. Diet
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Safety Considerations
2.2. Protected Contact
2.3. Training Sessions
3. Goal Behaviors
3.1. Target Training
3.2. Recall
3.3. Back Up
3.4. Station
3.5. Lift Foot
3.6. Front Foot Radiograph
4. Radiograph Positioning and Techniques
Lateral Radiograph (Lateromedial)
5. Results
5.1. Animal Participation
5.2. Diagnosis
6. Discussion
6.1. Challenges
6.1.1. Motivation to Train
6.1.2. Timing and Reinforcement
6.2. Operant Conditioning for Medical Procedures
6.3. Training as Enrichment
6.4. Human and Animal Safety
7. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Behaviour Steps | Definition | Number of Sessions |
---|---|---|
Target | Instant Touch | 9 |
Target—Duration 2 s | 15 | |
Target—Duration 4 s | 7 | |
Target—Duration 6 s | 9 | |
Target—Duration 8 s | 7 | |
Target—Duration 10 s | 9 | |
Recall | Giraffe walks towards Trainer | 10 |
Back Up | Giraffe walks backwards from Trainer | 12 |
Station | Giraffe stands at the stationing area, slightly leaning into chest straps | 10 |
Lift Foot | Giraffe Lifts foot and places it onto the foot block | 15 |
Lift Foot & Hold | Giraffe holds foot on block for 2 s | 6 |
Giraffe holds foot on block for 5 s | 8 | |
Giraffe holds foot on block for 10 s | 11 | |
Giraffe holds foot on block for 15 s | 10 | |
Giraffe holds foot on block for 20 s | 11 | |
Giraffe holds foot on block for 30 s | 15 | |
Front Foot Radiograph | Giraffe holds foot on block while Trainer moves radiograph machine close to foot | 12 |
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Booth, D.; Kamau, A.; Kayondo, H.; Sumaya, A.M.; Ashraf, M.W. Training a Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) for Voluntary Foot Radiographs at Dubai Safari Park. J. Zool. Bot. Gard. 2022, 3, 688-698. https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg3040051
Booth D, Kamau A, Kayondo H, Sumaya AM, Ashraf MW. Training a Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) for Voluntary Foot Radiographs at Dubai Safari Park. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens. 2022; 3(4):688-698. https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg3040051
Chicago/Turabian StyleBooth, Demi, Amos Kamau, Henry Kayondo, Anna Mae Sumaya, and Muhammad Waseem Ashraf. 2022. "Training a Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) for Voluntary Foot Radiographs at Dubai Safari Park" Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 3, no. 4: 688-698. https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg3040051