Enrichment! Not just for the birds!
While most of his flock was tucked out of the rain yesterday, this baby Military macaw decided to listen to tweets and unofficial CDC recommendations to “release your inhibitions and feel the rain on your skin”. 🎶
He was joined by fellow Scarlet macaw bathers soon after! Nothing beats a downpour after a hot day.
The bird equivalent of a bubble bath? Or staying under the covers, comfy in bed?
Chiquita was in heaven with this shreddable box enrichment, which offered her hours of fun.
It is important to note though, that for some individuals, enrichment like this may stimulate brooding behaviors which may be undesirable depending on the situation.
Happy New Year's Eve! Here are some of our daytime fireworks at NEI!
Have a safe and happy NYE everyone!
GOATS!
The workshop students getting ready for their first goat session.
The goat sessions give us a great opportunity to practice our flexibility. The students are meeting with their team leaders before they start their session to discuss their training plan.
Communication is key. Having a plan before you start is important but it doesn't always have to be as formal as a written training plan.
Expert trainers are comfortable to change their plans based on the animals' behavior under the current environmental conditions to set their learners up for success. Sometimes that can mean changing course multiple times per session!
The goat sessions are always fun and lots of great learning takes place between human and animal alike. We are looking forward to seeing how these behaviors progress throughout the week!
Teach 'em Young!
Teach 'em young!
Another video of our Show Manager Ari's daughter, Willa B, and her best buddy Archer! How cute is that bait bag?
CMZ Crew watching TEC-Talks
We recieved a great video from the Cheyenne Mountian Zoo team watching our NEI-TEC Talks in the Giraffe Barn, watch to the end for a fun cameo!
NEI African fish eagle lure grab
Check out this awesome catch by Jackie, our female African fish eagle. Flying in shows at the Florida State Fair, this large pond has given her the opportunity to go for big flights and better judge the wind before grabbing the lure off of the water. It has also given our trainers the chance to try to throw that lure as far as possible!
Amy goes to the Florida State Fair
Amy, our Supervisor of Training, also loads voluntarily into her travel space. We reinforce her with quiet time alone and M&M McFlurries.
Amy has been leading up the training for all of the birds you will see in the SOAR show at the fair. From going into crates voluntarily to catching a lure off the water, Amy is working with an amazing team to help the birds and the show succeed at the highest level. It is a huge job that takes a lot of skill and talent. She deserves all the McFlurries!
Happy Mother’s Day from our flock to yours!
Ari’s in the field Ara adventure has come to a close...until next time that is! A big thank you again to the Ara Project / Proyecto Ara. Keep up the great work!
Meet Sam Williams, Director of the Ara Project / Proyecto Ara! Be sure to follow their page and check out all the awesome work they do!
