July 1, 2007

Hello once again everybody! First, I would like to extend my deepest apologies for having waited so long between my last post and this new one. My days at the aquarium have been running as usual - but I also have a second part time job outside of the aquarium. So a typical work day between those two jobs has me awake and running around from 7 a.m. (when I wake up) to 10 p.m. (when I leave my second job). I've been so busy that all I ever want to do when I come home is sleep, hahaha. So that's why I've been slacking on writing entries for you guys. But I haven't forgotten! And I'm actually pretty excited now because - as you can see - I've decided to use www.blogger.com for my entries, since it is much more interactive. I have included relevant photos now inside all of my past entries, so be sure to go back and check em out! I am also able to post videos, which I've done in the last two entries along with the photos. So with all of that out of the way... now let me catch you up on everything that's happened in last two and half weeks!

The things I've been able to do at the aquarium since my last entry have been totally awesome! I'm still doing the otter presentations, and most of the trainers and staff have complimented me on how great I sound doing them. :) I've also moved on to doing the conclusions for the dolphin shows - there are a heck of a lot more people in attendance at these, so it's a little more important that I get it right. So I'm starting out small with that. Once I master the conclusion, I'll be able to move on to doing the intro, and then both intro and conclusion. On the food prep/exhibit maintenance end of things, I'm still scrubbing and cleaning as usual! It's a job you just have to learn to love, hehe. We have a "Training Camp" program at the aquarium, where people can pay to come in and learn everything there is to know about being a trainer and working with marine mammals. It's like my entire internship, but crammed into five days! So we had three high school girls this past week that came in to participate in our training camp. The head trainer threw me in charge of going over animal enrichment with them, and then I had to help them make a toy for the dolphins. The training camp girls then got to present their toy to the dolphins that afternoon, and it was very cute to watch the dolphins play with it with so much enthusiasm.

And NOW, in reference to the topic that I'm sure is on most of your minds - what kind of animal interactions and experiences have I been entrusted with? And the answer to that, my fellow marine-mammal-trainers-to-be, is LOTS! I've gotten to do a BAZILLION awesome things with the dolphins and river otters! The trainers have had me helping out a lot during the presentations in practicing a variety of behaviors with the dolphins - including the "hug" behavior, painting, blood draw, Nicholas' scars on his back, and assisting in little Winter's physical therapy (in preparation for her prosthetic tail, more info on that at www.seewinter.com). I've also helped out with touching and feeling the mass inside of Panama's mouth in order to densensitize her to the process used for its removal. I have also been authorized to do some behaviors with the otters, like basic fist targeting, target hold, paw, tumble, station, and follow. I get to ask for the behavior (i.e. "Webster, tumble!) and then bridge (the word "good") and reinforce (with food) if the behavior is performed correctly. :) I also got to do a free-feeding and basic hand stationing session with Panama, our oldest female dolphin. It was SOOO freakin' cool to be able to do that on my own. I got to use my bridge (the whistle) and everything! I would just like to make one comment about it - it's VERY different than everything you read. I mean, the basic concepts are the same, and I know positive reinforcement like the back of my hand. But when it actually comes down to the first time you do it, there are soooo many little factors in their behavior that you have to look out for... it's a little overwhelming. But I'm sure that, like everything else, I'll get better with practice. :) I also got to get in the water with Panama for a water-work session one afternoon, under the stimulus control of the head trainer. We did a foot push, where she puts her rostrum on my foot and we dive down together under the water, and then she pushes me around the pool like that. It was amazing. Then we did a dorsal tow, where I hold onto her dorsal fin and she tows me around the pool slowly; and a belly tow, where she rolls over ventral side up, and I hold onto her pecs while she swims around the pool slowly. You can see a short clip of my dorsal tow with Panama below...

I also got to use my bridge to help out for an activity called Object ID with the dolphins, where we present them with a shape made of PVC and they are supposed to swim over to an L-pole suspended in the water to touch the matching shape with their rostrum. They are bridged if their choice is correct (that was my job), and recalled if it is incorrect (the trainer's job). This is actually a very advanced cognitive question to ask a dolphin, because all of the shapes are made of the same material - so they cannot use echolocation to cheat by detecting differences in density (which would ordinarily allow them to distinguish between two objects). Object ID actually tests their ability to decipher between two objects based solely on one cognitive aspect, such as shape, by their assessment the amount of positive and negative space that shows up in their echolocation.

So my internship ends in just a short month from now. It seems like I've been there forever already, it's very strange. I'm very sad to be leaving, as I have developed a very strong love and attachment for the animals and people at the aquarium. I won't be able to keep myself away for long, though - I plan on driving down for one weekend out of every month until I graduate from college to volunteer and keep in touch with everything that goes on there. :)