THEORETICAL-PRACTICAL COURSE OF OPERANT CONDITIONING AND ANIMAL WELFARE

Type: Course

Attendance: Mandatory (classroom course)

Place: Mediterraneo Marine Park Malta

Dates: 17th – 21^st September 2018

Duration: 50 hours, 5 days.

Lecturers:

• Mediterraneo Marine Park Team

• Marco Tulio Flores: Marco has been working with marine mammals since 1996 and in this time he has performed not only as an animal carer and trainer but also as a manager of different zoological institutions and responsible of dozens of animals and training teams. He has experience with Californian and Patagonian sea lions, fur seals, dolphins, otters and belugas in programs such as the international tour “Delfines de Miami”, TV shows and facilities like Plaza La Isla in Cancun or in the dolphinariums Xcaret and Xel-ha, Costa Maya Delphinus Dolphinarium and Riviera Maya Delphinus Dolphinarium (Mexico), Conny Land Freizeit Park (Switzerland) or Loro Parque (Tenerife, Spain), where he performed as head of the trainers of dolphins and sea lions. His specialties are not only the husbandry and training of the animals but also the optimal handling of the animal collection under his responsibility, the supervision and support of the training team and the organization of the daily tasks.

• Carmen M. Arija: Director and teacher at Sea Wolves. She is or had been an external collaborator as a speaker, author of scientific papers or researcher in several Universities and Zoological Institutions both nationally and internationally such as the SECEM (Spanish Society for the Conservation and Study of Mammals), Autonomous University of Madrid, Complutense University of Madrid, Balaena, Sectoral of the University of Granada, AVAFES León, Zaragoza or Barcelona, Mediterraneo Marine Park (Malta), etc. She is one of the members of the Education Committee of the EAAM (European Association for Aquatic Mammals) and author of different books, dozens of scientific works presented at Congresses and Symposiums around the world. Furthermore, she is author of several chapters of the Encyclopedia of Spanish Vertebrates of the National Museum of Natural Sciences and CSIC (Superior Council of Scientific Investigations). She has a degree in Biology with intracurricular specialization in Zoology (UCM) and master degrees in fields such as the management and conservation of fauna and the quantitative analysis of data.

Who is it for?

Both professionals and people who are starting in training by operant conditioning and wish to acquire or expand both its theoretical base and its practical application. We will work with different types of species, from small animals such as exotic birds or coatis, to marine mammals such as dolphins and sea lions.

What will I learn?

The goal of this training program is to learn not only theoretical point of view but also and above all from the practical side, the work of the caretaker and wildlife trainer. In order to do this, we will work side by side with the team of caretakers of the Mediterranean Marine Park of Malta for 5 days, participating in all those tasks that are part of their day to day, emphasizing the training sessions and the use of the techniques of operant conditioning.

Program

Theoretical module: composed of two types of activities:

• Theoretical classes
• Explanations in situ about the application of operant conditioning techniques in each case and concrete circumstance that arise during the practices.

Practical module: monitoring and participation in the daily work of the caretakers and trainers at Mediterraneo Marine Park Malta

Contents

• During the course, the student will learn the importance of effective communication.
• Recognition and identification of animals.
• Meaning of precursors.
• Redirection of aggressive behavior until its extinction.
• Food handling.
• Diet preparation.
• Planning of diets based on the weight of the animals, seasonality, available species of fish and their caloric content.
• Planning of training sessions.
• When does the training session end?
• Building behavior step by step.
• When do we give a bigger step in the training of a behavior?
• What information do we communicate to the animals?
• Secondary Reinforces.
• When does a positive stimulus become aversive?
• Voluntary Husbandry Training.
• Team Work.
• Building positive relationships with the animals.
• Personal hygiene and standards.
• Sanitation of common areas.
• Preventive Medicine.
• First session of the day, apparent physical changes.
• Elaboration of daily reports.
• Elaboration of reports during periods of illness.
• Toy making.
• Customer services.
• Handling complaints.
• Added value.
• Working with animals during interactive sessions.
• Working with animals during show or presentation sessions.
• Planning a show or presentation.
• Conflictive situations under our control.
• Improvisation
• Body language.
• Animal welfare, stress and evaluation.

Fees:

• Early bird*: 750 €
• Regular: 850 €

*Early bird registration until 31^st July

This course includes:

• Individual insurance for each student.
• Theoretical lectures.
• Access to Mediterraneo Marine Park during the days of the course.
• Certificate of attendance and use of the course.
• Lunch at the restaurant of the park the days of the course.
• Accommodation in Malta during the course (6 nights).

This course DOES NOT include:

• Meals (except lunch at the park)
• Any travel expenses from or to Mediterraneo Marine Park Malta

Contact, information and registration

info@seawolves.es

(0034) 652391390

“People may forget what you told them but they will never forget what you made them feel”

Carol Buchner

OUR HISTORY

Sea Wolves was created in 2006 as a center for Education, Research
and Conservation specialized in the field of Zoology. Nowadays, Sea
Wolves not only organizes courses and experiences with related to
animals but also acts as a consultant for zoological institutions and
carries out research. That‘s why, beyond just transmitting concepts, at
Sea Wolves we want to transmit emotions, feelings, experiences. We
want to share what animals make us feel. This way maybe people can
feel the same than us and see the zoological world through our eyes.

OUR BEGINNINGS

We started very small: only two hands with a heart and a brain. Slowly, after all these years, other hands, hearts and brains joined. Good people that came together and have become a multidisciplinary team with great professional quality. The work of each one of us complements that of the others.

Thanks to this diverse and integrating character we are able to reach a very complete vision on all the aspects that affect the life of wild fauna both in their own environment and under human care. And, thanks to that passion that we share, we are able to put on the table our heart so every person that passes through Sea Wolves, although they may forger a lot of things we tell them, they will never forget what we made them feel.