Veterinary Science
As one of the key strategic partners of the new School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Surrey, we are part of a collaborative network of veterinarians, doctors and other scientists seeking to meet the needs of a changing world. Together we try to understand the interactions between animal, human and ecosystem health, emerging disease, behaviour, climate, biodiversity and land use. This holistic view and inter- disciplinary approach is critical for promoting good health, wellbeing and sustainable living.
We are also privileged in being in a position to help shape the veterinary professionals of the future by providing lectures, tutorials, unique opportunities for project work and extra-mural studies . Currently the University offers two undergraduate and one postgraduate course: BVMSci Veterinary Medicine & Science, BSc Veterinary Biosciences and MSc Veterinary Microbiology. (https://www.surrey.ac.uk/school-veterinary-medicine/about/partnerships)
Animal Training at Marwell
What is training?
Training can be viewed as learning, and for animals in zoos, this learning occurs through interactions with their human caregivers, which means their keepers, veterinarians and other staff are also their teachers. Animals are constantly learning from their environment and from us, so it is essential that we are continuously mindful of our influence during every interaction we have, not just during designated training sessions.
Why do we train our animals?
Training is an essential part of how we care for our animals here at Marwell. Through training using positive reinforcement, our animals learn how to cooperate with us during their daily husbandry regime; an example of this would be an animal moving from its inside to its outside habitat on cue, so that the inside area can be cleaned. Training can also greatly help to improve an animal’s welfare and reduce its stress when we need to provide it with veterinary care – for example, allowing a blood sample to be taken or a vaccination to be given without restraint or immobilisation.
What do we mean by ‘positive reinforcement’?
When an animal performs a behaviour that we would like repeated, we reinforce that behaviour with something the animal finds pleasing, usually food. For example, if Valentina, the Amur tiger, comes into her house when called, she is given a piece of chicken. If she likes chicken, she is more likely to repeat the behaviour of coming inside next time she is called. Training is completely voluntary; we always give our animals the choice to participate, and this in turn gives them control over their behaviour and environment. All animals can benefit from training and the same methods can be used to train all species – this means that you can train your pet dog, cat or even goldfish using the same methods we use to train our tigers, giraffes or crocodile monitor!
How is animal training monitored at Marwell?
Our Animal Behaviourist, alongside our Animal Team Leaders, oversee all animal training at Marwell. The training process begins when a training need is identified, for example, if we know that an animal is leaving the zoo we will aim to train them to enter a crate so that they don’t need to be physically caught up – we want to make all husbandry and veterinary care as stress-free as possible. Once a need is identified, the trainer will write a proposal document and detailed training plan which are approved by the Animal Behaviourist and the Team Leader for that animal’s section before training begins. Training sessions are then recorded to monitor how each animal and their trainer are progressing. Human training is an important part of this process – since animals are constantly learning, they are always looking for subtle cues from their carers, so we have to be really careful not to accidentally train a behaviour that is detrimental to an animal’s welfare. To achieve this, staff training is an integral part of our animal training programme. All staff that will be training animals at Marwell are required to complete a formal sign-off process that covers the knowledge and theory behind animal training as well as the practical application of training methods.
If you would like to learn more about animal training, please take a look at some of the references below:
Brando S (2012) Animal Learning and Training: Implications for Animal Welfare. Veterinary Clinics: Exotic Animal Practice 15 p387-398
Brando,S. and Norman, M. (2023) Handling and training of wild animals: Evidence and ethics-based approaches and best practices in the modern zoo. Animals 13(14), 2247
Fernandez, E.J. and Martin, A.L. (2021) Animal training, environmental enrichment, and animal welfare: A history of behavior analysis in zoos. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 2(4), 531-543
Free, D. and Smith, S.J., 2024. Utilising Classical and Operant Conditioning to Enable Cooperative Care for a Captive Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus). Animal Behaviour and Welfare Cases, CABI. https://doi.org/10.1079/abwcases.2024.0019
Laule G & Whittaker M (2007) Enhancing Nonhuman Primate Care and Welfare Through the Use of Positive Reinforcement Training. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 10 (1) p31-38
Mackie, J. (2020) Box B6: The Application of Positive Reinforcement Training to Enhance Welfare of Primates in Zoological Collections. In: Melfi, V.A., Dorey, N.R., Ward, S.J. (eds) Zoo Animal Learning and Training. Hoboken, NJ, Wiley-Blackwell, pp.211-215
Melfi, V & Thomas, S (2005) Can training zoo-housed primates compromise their conservation? A case study using Abyssinian colobus monkeys (Colobus guereza). Anthrozoos A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People & Animals 18 (3) p 304-317
Pomerantz O & Terkel J (2009) Effects of Positive Reinforcement Training Techniques on the Psychological Welfare of Zoo-Housed Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). American Journal of Primatology 71 p687-695
Westlund, K (2014) Training is enrichment – And beyond. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 152 p1-6
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