Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more information see the Zoo InternQuest Journals. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal.

The new-and-improved history show at the Wegeforth Bowl amphitheater at the San Diego Zoo, with animal trainer Monty Davis as our main show narrator, not only involves fun with the animals, it also gives the trainers a chance to send messages to the audience. Showing how much the trainers care about the animals, weaving information about the animals and their status in the wild into their talk, and giving spectators more exposure to the animals, creates a connection to the animals and conservation.

Most of the sea lions at the Zoo were born at the Zoo or other zoos in the United States. Occasionally, animals come to the Zoo from marine mammal rescue organizations. There are two sea lions here who were rescued. Riley, who made a brief appearance at the beginning of our show, was rescued eight years ago. He was found as a very young animal, stranded without his mother anywhere near. The youngest sea lion at Wegeforth Bowl, he is still learning the ropes to be center stage in the sea lion show. The trainers first had to train him to enjoy eating again. For some reason, he did not like eating fish when he first came to them so they had to make eating an enjoyable experience for him. Their dedication to this one animal is an illustration of their commitment to serving the entire species. Riley is now a big eater and he is helping to teach Zoo guests about the sometimes difficult life of a sea lion.

The Wegeforth Bowl show reminded us all that we share the planet with some amazing animals. The signature phrase that ended the show basically tells it all, “Take only pictures and leave only footprints.”

-Marika, Zoo InternQuest Conservation Team

Training to be an Animal Trainer
Kristi Dovich is the animal training manager at Wegeforth Bowl. After the show, she and Mr. Davis gave us some insight into what rewarding jobs they have as animal trainers. Though the job requires a lot of time, hard work, and dedication, judging by the bond they have with the animals, it is all worth it. Each animal that lives at the Bowl (they all have nice enclosures out back) is either a performer in a show, an animal ambassador, or both. This means they must be comfortable around people and, ideally, respond to commands from any of the trainers.

Not everyone who works as an animal trainer was raised on a farm or came out of college at age 22 with a degree in zoology. Mr. Davis began making a living as a police officer. He worked as an officer for 15 years but always had a passion for animals. As a child, he watched The Tonight Show and was inspired by Joan Embery. At the age of 40 he decided being a police officer was not his life’s calling. He became a volunteer for the Zoological Society of San Diego’s Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES) Behavior Division, where he patiently observed primates for many, many hours. He shared his observation data with the staff scientists. But something else happened during those hours of observation. He met some trainers at the Zoo who were charged with training an animal with diabetes to present his arm so they could draw blood and administer insulin. Because of his deep knowledge of animals and his willingness to volunteer his time and to ask questions and make friends with people at the Zoo, he was asked to spend a summer with the team at Wegeforth Bowl. He then went to Moorpark Community College’s Exotic Animal Training and Management program.

In order to land a job as an animal trainer or something similar you must first have a passion for working with animals; just loving animals and watching Animal Planet and Discovery Channel is not enough. According to Ms. Dovich, although it is not a requirement, it is strongly recommended that you have at least a bachelor’s degree in biology or a related field. In her own personal experience, she had an associate’s degree from Moorpark College’s Exotic Animal Training and Management program when she began working as an animal trainer at the San Diego Zoo. Later, she chose to pursue her bachelor’s degree in order to increase her skills and to move up to the level of manager.

-Justin, Zoo InternQuest Careers Team

Taking Home Some Training Tips, and Fishy Smelling Lips
Being kissed by a sea lion is a fishy experience to remember! Nelson is a sea lion that performs at the San Diego Zoo. He is one of the five that get the crowd worked up to the end of their seats with laughs and applause by demonstrating sea lion behaviors. Sitting behind the scenes but also up close with the mammals is an outstanding opportunity.

There are many different ways to train the animals but it always takes a long term commitment in order to gain the animals’ trust and shape their behaviors. Most animals at the Zoo are trained using operant conditioning, which includes the “bridge technique.” When an animal does the requested behavior or does not do an unwanted behavior (like barking) the trainer communicates to the animal that it is doing something right by using a sound – a click, a whistle, or a key word. As soon as possible after the sound the animal receives a reward, perhaps a tasty treat, access to a toy they like, or an affectionate pat.

- Chelsi, Zoo InternQuest Real World Team

Posted in Uncategorized | Link to this post

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Scroll to the end to leave a comment. Pinging is not allowed.