<em>By</em>
<em>Allyson Corea, Swing Keeper</em>
<em>Natural Bridge Zoo, Natural Bridge, Virginia</em>

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<strong>Introduction</strong>

In the spring of 2010, the staff at the Natural Bridge Zoo began experiencing behavioral problems with two of our dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Juvenile camels, Isabel and Carrie were born in the late fall of 2009. Unfortunately, due to the heavy snows that winter, the camels did not have many opportunities to leave their stall. It wasn’t until the end of April that the weather was warm enough to start keeping the camels outside during the day. We needed to use halters and leads to walk them from the stalls to the petting area, but this proved to be very difficult since the camels had not experienced walking on leads and halters before. Isabel and Carrie would have “tantrums” which often included lots of screaming, kicking and jumping, pulling on the lead, running ahead, and sometimes simply refusing to move. We also needed to address an issue that occurred during feeding time. The camels would rush to the gate upon seeing the arrival of grain, would refuse to back up, and even attempt to eat the grain straight from the bucket. This lack of respect of the zookeeper’s space was a potentially dangerous situation that needed to be resolved. To solve these problems, another zookeeper and I were permitted to implement a training program for walking the camels using operant conditioning. Most of my previous training experience was in canine obedience. This was my first time working with camels, so this was going to be an exciting learning experience for all of us.

<strong>Preparation</strong>

To develop a training plan, we first had to determine appropriate sources of positive reinforcement. Although, bottles were advantageous as motivators, it was not an efficient training reward. Another fact to consider was that the juvenile camels were not used to chewing pieces of fruit. We found that it was difficult for them to grab onto a large chunk of apple or pear. The size of the treat had to be taken into account. If the treat was too large, the amount of time taken to chew it detracted from the training and there was the possibility of the camel’s attention wandering. Grapes were another favored treat, but were too slippery and easily dropped. Finally, we discovered that watermelon cut into small cubes was a quick and healthy treat. Watermelon cubes were easy for camel lips to grab onto, and small enough to prevent the focus of the camels from wandering. We decided to use watermelon cubes as a primary reinforcer, and praise as a conditioned reinforcer. Isabel, in particular, enjoyed grooming sessions, so we used that to our advantage. Brushing the camels every morning also helped to build trust between the camels and the keepers. Such tactile reinforcement was beneficial should we ever need to inspect feet or legs.

Knowing that consistency is so important, training was to occur every time the camels needed to be walked outside to the petting area, depending on the weather. We also planned for several short training sessions throughout the day. Our two major goals of the training program were to desensitize the camels to the halters and walk the camels calmly without problems. The problems we needed to address during walks were: tantrums, becoming distracted/eating grass, refusing to move, running ahead of the trainer, and crowding the trainer’s space.

<strong>Training</strong>

The first step in our training program was to desensitize Isabel and Carrie to the leads and halters. Initially, both camels would run away or throw a tantrum upon seeing the halters. We realized in this case, the bottle was the best way to get the camels’ focus. During the first few attempts, the camels were haltered as the bottles were given. We incorporated haltering during each bottle time; therefore, it only took a few times for the camels to begin associating the halters with bottles. After re-assessing our strategy, we changed our tactics to haltering first, followed by rewarding good behavior with a bottle. We did this because we wanted to be able to halter a camel at any time, whether or not a bottle was presented.

Occasionally, Isabel or Carrie would get upset while being haltered, and struggle. In these instances, we would wait for the camel to calm down, and proceed with the behavior. The camel would receive the bottle only after a calm haltering. Tactile reinforcement and praise were also used to encourage a stress-free haltering.

Once a camel was successfully haltered, two handlers were required. The primary trainer held the lead rope and treats while an assistant stood towards the back and off to one side, with a staff ready to give a prod in the rump if necessary. During visiting hours, we used an unoccupied enclosure for training sessions. The circular path in the enclosure was easy for the camels to follow while on the lead. Therefore, to ensure that Isabel and Carrie were following our lead and not just the path, we changed the route as often as possible. We included counter-clockwise routes, figure-eights, half- circles, etc.

It was important to keep training sessions brief, ensuring they always ended on a positive note. As the camels showed progress, session lengths gradually increased.

We learned how to anticipate a tantrum, and prevent it from happening. If a camel began showing signs that she was about to jump-kick, a quick downward jerk of the lead with a simultaneous and firm “No” was applied, similar to canine obedience. The key was to watch the camel’s behavior and posture. A sudden quickening in pace, the camel’s nose in the air and a stiff, outstretched neck were clear…

<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-2231" title="camel1" src="http://aecetia.net/gws/aazk/wp-content/uploads/camel1-1024x768.jpg" alt="camel1" width="614" height="461" />

<strong>Walking Isabel.</strong> <em>Photo by Emily Thornton.</em>