<em>By
Dara Girsch, African Animal Keeper
The Living Desert Zoo &amp; Gardens
Palm Desert, CA</em>

<strong>Introduction</strong>

For several years, “Frasier,” a 1.0 East African Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum), has exhibited frequent aggression towards his keepers. These displays would often culminate in Frasier injuring a keeper or himself. The previous method for managing these behaviors was to bring in a tool for protection or restrain Frasier and place him in a holding area. Neither of these methods was especially effective, as Frasier would attack the tool relentlessly or increase the intensity of aggression upon release from holding areas.

I set out, with a team of two additional keepers, to train Frasier to target to a laser pointer as a method of focusing his attention away from keepers and reduce the number of threatening displays. This became a transition to a routine shifting behavior into a holding area, taking a previously negative situation and positively reinforcing his time in holding. These initial behaviors, coupled with a newfound working relationship between Frasier and myself, led to the ability to begin desensitization and to train station behavior.

<strong>Process</strong>

Establishing the intended behavior of targeting to the laser pointer (Figure 1) was accomplished using basic positive reinforcement techniques. A notable step in eliciting this behavior was to take a step back, literally. When training first began, I was standing directly at the exhibit perimeter. Because male cranes are highly territorial (Ellis et al., 1996), my position at the fence was likely instigating his aggression and his attention was on me, not the laser point. When I began training from several feet away, he instantly focused his attention towards the laser. Researching specifics of crane behavior and accounting for Frasier’s personality allowed me to adapt training methods to his ability, giving a greater probability for success.

Several different colors of lasers were tested to see if Frasier responded more to a certain color. Birds have been hypothesized to see twice as many colors as humans throughout the spectrum, and Gruiformes are known to be able to see into the violet range of wavelengths, down to 406 nm (Odeen and Hastad, 2003). A purple laser (wavelength = 405nm, 5mW) was tested, as well as green (wavelength = 532nm, 5 mW), red-orange (wavelength = 735nm, 5mW) and red (wavelength = 650nm, 5mW). Frasier targeted equally well to all of the colors. The green laser was chosen because it was the brightest for the trainer to see in daylight, to ensure that the trainer knew where it was pointed. In the future, laser colors can be used interchangeably to stimulate visual acuity and sustain novelty.

The location of the training sessions was kept consistent, a shady area on exhibit where the laser could most easily be seen, for Frasier and the trainer. Also taken into consideration was the fact that this section of the exhibit was not frequented by keepers, so it could be recognized specifically as a training area.  To begin, with the trainer kneeling several feet away (at a pre-determined point, kept consistent) so as to be non-threatening, the laser was pointed approximately a foot away from Frasier’s’ feet on either side. Once he pecked at it, the laser was immediately turned off as the bridge, a verbal ‘good,’ was given. Frasier was then tossed his reinforcement (crickets or mealworms) through the fence.

Six weeks were spent gathering initial data: the number of times Frasier targeted per session and the number of aggressive displays he exhibited during each session. The aggressive behavior under scrutiny was the “ruffle-bow,” a low level threat display, “in which the crane elevates its feathers and slowly, at first, ruffles its plumage until at length the whole body is rapidly shaking” (Ellis et al., 1996). Training sessions were kept very short – under a minute. Frasier was required to target to the laser in less than ten seconds, with five attempts per session. This was to accomplish the desired targeting behavior before any frustration or diverted attention could occur that would lead to belligerent behaviors.

There was a wide discrepancy in the consistency of executing the targeting behavior between each of the trainers.  Frasier targeted during 100% of the attempts with his primary trainer, and exhibited very few aggressive behaviors – an average of 0.1 aggressive occurrences per session over the six week period. For the second trainer, he targeted during 98% of the attempts, but exhibited the ‘ruffle-bow’ display during every session. For the third trainer, Frasier again showed little aggression but successfully targeted less than 50% of the time. It was known before training began that the levels of aggression from Frasier varied greatly for each trainer, regardless of the situational circumstances. The behaviors and their frequency towards each trainer mirrored those observed during everyday servicing of the exhibit.

Because of the variation in successful training and aggression, it was decided that in order to effectively eliminate Frasier’s aggression from affecting keepers, he should be trained to shift into a holding area.

The original method for shifting was simply for Frasier to follow the laser point into a designated holding area. Frasier had shown in training sessions (after the initial data were collected) that he would follow the laser point several feet in any direction when the trainer was stationary.  However, he would not follow the laser from across the exhibit; he needed to be directly in front of the trainer before he would initiate targeting.

The first several attempts at shifting using a laser pointer (primary trainer only) showed that Frasier would not follow the laser through a doorway. Because he would not complete the shifting behavior using the laser as the only cue, several others were attempted. Frasier responded very well to a variety of sensory cues – calling his name, tapping, walking through holding areas, facing him, walking ahead of him. In retrospect, successive approximations could have been used to shift Frasier into the holding area using only the laser. However, the time lapse between the failed attempt to shift with the laser and successfully using other cues was only one day. Once inside, he could be positively reinforced with insects or his normal diet by performing the original target behavior with the laser pointer. He performed the shifting behavior equally well for each of the trainers. While release from holding areas still caused an elevated amount of excited behaviors, immediate aggression upon release was not seen. When training for the shifting behavior began, Frasier proved that the simplest method would not be the most effective. In actuality, various other sensory cues (auditory and visual) became the primary training tools, while the laser became obsolete for the shifting behavior.

Because all of the previous training was carried out with a barrier between Frasier and me, desensitization to human contact required…

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