#156 - Train an exotic animal DONE!

[just imagine a super cool pic right here...]



An important aspect of being a zoo keeper is training. My first training project was to work with a male reticulated giraffe to get him to stand calmly in the chute (where we do foot work and medical procedures) to receive his annual vaccination. The entire process took about 4 months to complete mainly due to weather conditions, it was the coldest winter Waco has seen in decades! But after many hours, and many buckets of treats Jeffrey received a hand injection in his neck safely and successfully! Next we will start working on target training and I hope to eventually condition him to accept a grooming routine as well.