Training is an essential component of animal care at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium! Our expert staff works closely with the animals to train them on various behaviors to better help us provide the best care to them. During this bi-monthly series, we will focus on one training behavior and how different animals around the Zoo demonstrate it.
For this month’s Training Tales, we will be looking at how we attain weights on different animals in our care. We use current weights and weight trends over time to help paint a picture of an animal’s well-being. When an animal is sick, one of the first indications you might see is a decrease in weight. Weight fluctuations are not always bad, as it can also be a sign that an animal is pregnant, and keepers can keep an eye on the female’s weight throughout the pregnancy. So, you can see why scale behavior is beneficial.
You might be wondering how we teach an animal to get on a scale. Sometimes, the setup is straightforward–a simple scale with a readout is set up somewhere in the animal’s space, and the animal is trained to walk onto the scale, then rewarded with its favorite treats for doing so. One of the challenges with scale training is ensuring the animal sits still long enough to get an accurate measurement. For larger animals, the scale is built into the ground, but the process is the same.
A practical application for using weights to determine animal well-being can be found in our pachyderm building, an indoor living option for both the elephants and rhino in our care. Asian elephant, Frankie, was born on June 16, 2021, and he first weighed in at 261 pounds. One of the first things that Frankie was introduced to was a scale platform (different from what our adult elephants use!). On average, baby elephants gain 3-5 pounds per day for the first year of their lives, so watching Frankie’s weight helps us know if he was growing the way he should. Keepers successfully got a weekly weight from Frankie until he was trained for voluntary blood draw. Looking at blood values and tracking weight are the two most important things in making sure young elephants are healthy. Frankie’s recently turned 23 months old and currently weighs almost 2,000 pounds. That’s one metric ton!
From our smallest elephant to the largest…Hank is our adult bull elephant and one of the largest in North America. At 35 years old, Hank is considered an older elephant but not geriatric. At one time, Hank weighed in at over 17,000 pounds–and because of his size–arthritis can be a concern as he gets older. To help prevent this, Hank was placed on an exercise routine to help him lose weight. To help Hank stay on the right track, he is weighed weekly and has lost almost 2,000 pounds to date!
Thank you for joining us for our Training Tales! The training at the Zoo doesn’t stop here! We still have other behaviors to share. Be sure to stop back again soon to see what else these amazing animals can do.
