Hey Everyone, I am a fellow educator and I am doing some research on training. I am interested to find out what type of training programs other sites use with their educational animals. I would also like to know if each facility trains their own animals or if they hire out and which one was more successful. Please take 15 mins and answer these questions for me. After all the question have been answered you can email me your answered via email. [email protected]. I would really like to see the success rate with the various types of training. THANKS! Katherine. Educational Animal Training This survey is for research only to examine the use of educational animals and how they are trained to ensure a healthy more productive environment. In addition, to see if facilities utilizes their own staff for training or if they use training consultants to achieve their training goals. Section 1: Facility Information 1. What kind of Facility do you work/volunteer at? 2. What is the average attendance at the facility? 3. Is this facility an AZA organization? 4. Is this a privately owned facility? 5. On average how many educational programs per weeks are put on that utilize educational animals? Section 2: Education Animals 1. Does your facility have education animals? 2. What type of education animals do you have? Please List the species 3. How did your facility acquire these animals? 4. Were they non releasable wildlife or were they breed in captivity? Section 3: Training Programs 1. Does your facility have a set training program for educational animals? If NO, please explain. 2. Were the animals already trained prior to transfer by another trainer? 3. Does your facility train your own educational animals at the facility? 4. What type of training do you do? 5. What type of behaviors do you focus on? 6. What tools does your facility use to assist in training? (Targets/Clicker/Whistle/etc) 7. Typically how long are the training sessions and how many times per day? 8. Do educational animals your facility prefer a specific handler due to training sessions or are they able to be handled by others? 9. Is there a log kept on every education animal with food/ training/ enrichment/ weight/ medical updates? 10. Does your center do anything unique with training? If Yes, please explain 11. Does your facility have educational animals that are difficult to handle and need training? If YES, Please Explain 12. What is usually done with animals that are unable to be handled/trained? 13. What kind of program/system does your facility use when training? 14. Does your facility have an internal animal training team or do they hire a training consultant? 15. How does your facility train new staff members on training when they start dealing with any site animals? 16. Please explain your facilities standard training system that you currently have set up for your educational animals? 17. How would you rate your success rate with training? (1-10 scale) {1 being slow to no success and 10 being fast with high success} Please Explain. Section 4: Training Consultants 1. Has your facility ever hired a training consultant to train staff or education animals? 2. Would your facility ever hire a consultant to train your staff or education animals? 3. Has your facility ever hire a consultant to retrain educational or exhibit animals? 4. Would your facility ever hire a consultant to retrain educational or exhibit animals? 5. Would your facility ever hire a consultant to train newly hired staff interested in training or caring for education or exhibit animals? 6. If your facility hired a consultant, Was there service satisfactory and goals met for the training? 7. Who did your facility hire as a consultant for your facility and how did you find out about their services? 8. Would your facility consider hiring a consultant again if needed? 9. Do you have any additional thoughts about consultants and their services? 10. How would you rate your success rate with using a consultant for training? (1-10 scale) {1 being slow to no success and 10 being fast with high success} Please Explain. Section 5: Free Flight Programs 1. Does your facility have a free flight program? Please Explain. 2. Is your program interested in a free flight program? 3. Does your facility have a licensed falconer on staff? 4. If a staff member could be placed in a training program to be trained as a falconer would the facility be interested? 5. Does your facility have any interest in an outside consultant designing an outside free flight program? 6. Does your facility have any interest in an outside consultant training staff for a free flight program? 7. Does your facility have any interest in an outside consultant training birds for a free flight program THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO FILL OUT THIS SURVEY.
You might learn more through the AZA Education listserv Education Info Page Or even the Zoo Educators Facebook page
