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| Fellowship Day 35 |
Target Training Fur Seals!
What a way to spend the last day of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travelling Fellowship - watching how Fur Seals and Harbour Seals are target trained and trick trained. I got up early and headed back out to Boston Harbour, this time to the New England Aquarium.
The first thing I planned to do was tour the facility but I got distracted by the penguins - aah! They were just so cute, and did you know that there are no penguins north of the Equator, they are exclusively Southern Hemisphere residents. They were so cute and I got to see them being fed. Chunks of fish where thrown into the water and the birds dived in and chased the food.
Little Blue Penguins - the smallest penguins in the world.
African or Jackass Penguins - have a loud braying call.
Next I had the opportunity to watch the Atlantic Harbour seals. They have a fantastic outdoor facility where they live and trainers come in regularly to interact with and train them . All the training uses operant condition and positive reinforcement techniques, using a whistle as a bridge to let the seal know that it got it right and is going to get a treat.
What a sweetie!
Just resting my eyes...
An underwater shot.
Learning "Brush your teeth!"
The tank is designed so that you can watch the seals under water as well as above, and it was really amazing to see them in action. When the trainers came out they had the seals' attention immediately - smelly fish is an instant draw. The training programme that the seal go through is very practical - the idea is that they are taught to cope with having their fins handled, teeth cleaned and blood samples taken, so that they live a happy life able to cope with their surroundings, and not fearful of having a blood sample taken when they are in need of medical attention. It was still amazing to watch the "brush your teeth" routine!
A turtle in the main aquarium.
A sea horse!
I had the opportunity to continue touring the place, looking at the fish and turtles, sea dragons, seashore exhibit, etc. It realy is an amazing tribute to the ocean. The care taken with each animal is wonderful to see, and they have volunteers that come in and work with the animals, penguins, seals, stingrays, you name it. It's a good enough reason on its own to become a resident of Boston!
I headed off for a light lunch at a nearby seafood restaurant which was lovely and the returned to the aquarium for the session I'd been waiting for all day - watching the Sea Lions in raining.
Clap handies!
Turn to the left - turn to the right!!
Give us a fishy kiss then!
More clever tricks!
It was spectacular watching these intelligent creatures. They responded so quickly and deftly to any of the request made of them. And they are requests - you can't force a seal to do something it doesn't want to, and when they've had enough food then they just kind of shrug and ignore the trainer. It's funny!
Again the training is mostly practical - making sure they aren't afraid of going into a crate for transportation, and other important things - but there is also the fun element and you can see the seals enjoy the attention. They have no problem showing off, the more attention the better. The training techniques are honed and sharp - these animals are smart and will run rings round you if you don't know how to train and what you are doing. If you are good, you are training the sea lion; if you aren't, the sea lion is training you - to feed his fish!!
The last stop before the end of the day was the open tank where members of the public can touch a stingray. It was worth the wait to touch their silky smooth skin. We stood round the tank as rested our hands on the surface of the water and as the rays swam round they would rise to the surface if you kept still and brush against your hand. A great way to end a great day.
Stroking a stingray!
I had one last surprise waiting for me when I got back to my hotel - Karen Pryor had sent me an email asking if I wanted to meet up with her one last time before the end of my trip. I jumped at the chance and said yes.
We met up for an early dinner at a very nice restaurant nearby. It was a wonderful time - spending the last evening of my fellowship with one of the most inspirational people I'd ever met. She spoke about her book and of the incredible difference operant conditioning (Clicker Training for animals, TagTeach for humans) has made in so many areas from gymnasts to autistic children, to sailors on the North Sea. The work she has done and inspired in other over so many decades is incredible and life-changing. But what's even more wonderful, is that Karen is still writing and teaching and researching and inspiring, when most people would be resting on their laurels. She is truly inspirational human being, and it was a real honour to spend time with her.