The majority of apes and other primates at the San Diego Zoo are involved in some sort of training or conditioning program, making medical procedures and everyday husbandry a little easier for all involved. The orangutans go through various behavioral exercises every morning and are conditioned to present different body parts in case a medical procedure is scheduled or they are sick and we’d like to get a closer look. Knowing different behaviors helps in other ways, too. Sometimes items are found in the Absolutely Apes exhibit that keepers would like to remove but are unable to retrieve. A bartering system has been developed with several of the orangutans: if they bring the item, be it broken termite mound pieces, coins, or even an injured bird, they receive a reward. The most memorial exchange was when Janey brought the keeper a hawk that had injured itself against the glass window. She carefully carried the bird to an inside tunnel, collected her reward, and left. The bird was given the medical attention it needed and was released. Needless to say, Janey was nominated and awarded Zoo Employee of the Month!

But let me go back to the orangutan morning exercises. Once the orangutans have had breakfast and the exhibit is ready for them, they are released one by one from their bedroom through a chute to the exhibit. Before they get to the exhibit, each orangutan works with the keeper on the behaviors it knows, and sometimes learns new ones, in the chute. They are rewarded with what we have learned to be their particular favorite food item. The reward is different from animal to animal and it is up to the keeper to remember what works best with whom.

Usually the first to go through the chute are Indah and her son, Cinta (both pictured above). Cinta runs ahead of his mom, eager to receive his peanuts or peas. The newest behavior being learned is holding onto two rings in the chute. By having the animals hold onto both of the rings at the same time, keepers and other personnel can safely manipulate the animal, knowing its hands are holding onto the rings and not reaching for them. The rings are placed at about head height, so the hands are spread and the animal is facing forward. Since Cinta is much smaller then all the other orangutans, he hangs completely spread out with his mouth open, waiting for me to deposit his reward. While he is hanging there, I rub his stomach, back, arms, and different body parts, praising him for his good work.

By this time, Indah has arrived. She is not as enthusiastic as her son, but she does like peanuts. Reluctantly, Indah places her left hand on the ring. As long as she holds onto the ring, she receives peanuts. Cinta is ready for round two and places both his hands in the correct position, again waiting for peanuts. Indah watches Cinta, then decides, okay, I’ll do it again. Sometimes she’ll move further into the chute and hold onto the right ring. Again she is rewarded for holding onto the ring. I even give her extra peanuts if she holds onto the ring and lets me close the chute door behind her. Sometimes she lets me close the door, sometimes she doesn’t; it depends on her mood, and I never trick her into letting me close it. The animals need to know they can trust their keeper. There may be a time when a not-so-fun medical procedure will need to be done and that trust will be needed.

There are many behaviors that are asked of the orangutans: presenting their hands, feet, arms, mouth, ear, back, shoulders, and shoulders again while the keeper holds a needle. The behaviors that each animal knows varies and keepers are aware of what they are. Since Cinta is still young (he turned 2 last month), his range of behaviors is much smaller than the other orangutans, but he is a fast and eager learner. Indah is a smart girl, but a little reluctant to participate. So we go at her speed and comfort level. Training sessions last about 10 minutes, depending on their willingness, and sessions always end on a positive note.

The other orangutans enjoy their training sessions and some will not go on exhibit unless they feel we have done enough. I’ll have to tell you about their sessions some other time: right now I think Cinta is ready for more peanuts!

Yvette M. Kemp is a senior mammal keeper at the San Diego Zoo.

Read Yvette’s previous blog about how the orangutans start their day.

Watch the red apes daily on Ape Cam.

Posted in Animal Stories, Default, General | 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.