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Jim Mackie - Animals in Action

How do you train the animals? What techniques do you use?
We use positive reinforcement techniques with the animals. These are techniques which condition the animals into changing their behaviours and remembering a certain response. The trainer uses a stick with a coloured target on it to entice the animal, when the animal responds to this target in some way (touching, sniffing, licking) the trainer will use a clicking device and reward the animal with a food treat, when this animal hears the noise, it relates touching, sniffing or licking the target with getting a food treat, therefore if this is repeated time after time, its behaviour is getting conditioned, hence it is being trained. This is called the behaviour bridging system.

We use these techniques for many purposes, not just for training the animals who star in the shows but for veterinary procedures too. For example, if a gorilla was diagnosed with diabetes and needed daily insulin injections, these techniques would be used to train the gorilla to think positively about sitting still and allowing a vet to administer the insulin, which is something that prior to being trained, it wouldn’t be comfortable doing.

Similarly, if a hippo needed to have its teeth cleaned, they would use positive reinforcement techniques to condition the hippo to open its mouth and sit still whilst the vets use a giant toothbrush to clean its many, large teeth.

ZSL London zoo is at the forefront of this type of animal training and have successfully used these techniques for many years with maximum effect. Other zoos are now following in ZSL London Zoo’s footsteps.

How long does it take to train the animals?
All animals and species have different characters and their own individual personality, very much like a human.

It is a gradual process and one which is received differently by the many animals we have at the zoo. Some of the animals who are very intelligent, like George the macaw, respond very well and are able to be trained quickly, but for other animals who are less bright may take a bit longer, for example the lemurs - although Dana learned very quickly!

The most successful way to speed up the training process is to maintain a positive experience for the animal. The animal’s welfare is the most important aspect of training; none of the animals are pushed or over-worked, just encouraged and rewarded.

How long does a lemur live for?
Dana is 17 but the oldest lemur Jim knows of is 38! Lemurs, as for all animals, live about double the life-span when in captivity as supposed to in the wild.

In the show you had today, there was a meerkat, two macaws, a Eurasian eagle owl and a lemur, Do you use the same animals every time or do you have different ones?
There are loads of animals used in the shows, black and white ruffed lemurs, ring tailed coatis, brown rats, skunks, meerkats, ferrets and hawks to name but a few. We use a differnet mixture of animals on a day to day basis.

Have any animals run away or out in to the audience while on stage?
It happens nearly every day! Positive reinforcement means trying to give the animal what it wants when it wants it. They don’t always get it perfect; this is the risk you have to take as an animal trainer! Sometimes we just let the animals have a wander round the stage.