<em><strong>The AAZK Behavioral Husbandry Committee presents</strong></em>

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<em>Jay Pratte, Lead Keeper, Zoo Atlanta
AAZK Behavioral Husbandry Committee Member
Bear Care Group Board of Directors</em>

<strong>Introduction</strong>

<em>“…I approach every bear with the same two questions on my mind: Who are you?
and What can I do for you?” – Else Poulsen, “Smiling Bears”.</em>

Bear caregivers know that these animals are clever, complex and sociable.  This combination of traits signifies a very real need for dynamic enrichment and operant conditioning (training) programs for captive bears.  Over the last few decades, advances in captive animal management and increased longevity have shaped a need for proactive, long-term husbandry guidelines.  Incorporating regular training into the routine of bears (or any animal for that matter) improves caregivers’ relationships with their charges, reduces the need for anesthetics, providing less invasive options for observation and treatment of potential medical and behavioral issues.

Several years of presenting training workshops for animal caregivers, and more recently bear-specific workshops, have provided me with a clear and concise view of what tools are most frequently requested to manage shrewd, yet dangerous species like bears.  General husbandry techniques, such as shifting and cooperative feeding usually come first, but inevitably questions are raised on how to train for procedures such as voluntary injections or blood collection.  A complex and marginally invasive voluntary medical technique, blood collection is a challenging yet valuable management tool.  Obviously venipuncture is not the first step in a training program, but an attainable goal once a basic understanding of reinforcement and training expectations is established with each individual animal.

Why train bears for voluntary blood collection? A few excellent reasons are:
• Improved care/husbandry; more flexibility in management
• Routine or situational diagnostics
• Medical care (e.g.:  vein access could provide opportunity for IV injections,
administering fluids in a compromised animal w/ out anesthesia)
• Build trust between the animal and caregiver
• Voluntary cooperation and decreased immobilizations

Ultimately voluntary venipuncture provides caregivers with one more management tool, while reinforcing each animal’s desire to cooperate with a consistent valued reward system.  It is easy to teach the association that a little pain = big gain.

Know Your Bears
Having worked with all eight extant bear species, I have observed amazing differences between each group.  Some basic generalizations (from personal observation and discussions with other caregivers) can be made about the differing species.  For example, polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horriblis) appear extremely focused and intense when engaged in training.  They spend most of their time on the ground, and while they are able to manipulate items with their paws, they are generally less adroit than most of their smaller, more arboreal cousins.  These are clearly very common sense remarks, but the natural history of each species plays heavily into a successful training program.  Trying to train a polar bear, with its enormous paws that are less finely tuned for climbing or grasping, to place a limb through a sleeve for blood draw training is very likely going to prove both frustrating and fruitless.  Assessing each animal’s natural history and personal preferences will allow a trainer to better judge various aspects of training, from choosing motivating rewards to appropriate positions for procedures.

Natural and personal histories taken into consideration, the animal’s physical capabilities must be assessed in conjunction with the existing environment. Are there geriatric considerations?  Is the goal to draw from the forelimb, the neck, or a hind foot?  This is where looking around the environment with an open, creative mind comes into play.  Can maintenance crews cut training panels or holes that will not compromise human or animal safety?  Can a blood draw sleeve be constructed from readily available materials (Figure 1)?  Is there a low spot in a transfer area that a paw could slide under, or bars where a bear lying on its side could flop a hind foot through?  Existing squeeze/crate/chute facilities are extremely useful.  Can it be used in a non-restraining manner to aid positioning?  There is no one correct way to train a desired behavior, and any number of options (Cecil, Kezer, Pratte, 2003).  Flexibility in training is essential, as one specific method will not prove successful for every bear.

Personal observation and research to date lend support to three successful venipuncture sites:  the cephalic vein on the underside of the forelimb; the dorsal pedal (metatarsal) vein on the hind foot; the jugular vein on the neck (Figure 2).  These methods are not exclusive, as there are as many means of training as there are bears, trainers, and willing veterinarians or vet techs.  Based on the usable space in the environment and each bear’s natural and individual history, assess which of the three methods will work best.

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<strong>Fig. 1:</strong> A giant panda trained to use a blood sleeve at Zoo Atlanta. <em>(photo by author)</em>