Primate Connections 2016 Calendars Now Available!
Source: Primate Connections 2016 Calendars Now Available!
Read moreMonthly Archives: October 2015
Pet keeper to zoo keeper?
A common thought is that there is a fine line between a child that has pets at their home and a zookeeper who takes care of wild animals. It is true, that both pick up after their animals, but there are a few more differences. Next time you are at an aquarium or zoo, be aware that zookeepers can
Read moreEmotional animals
Anthropomorphism was one of the first vocabulary words that I ingrained to memory. It was an interesting concept to me at a very young age: using words, that are only characteristic to humans, to describe animal attributes. Examples include describing your pets as happy, sad, jealous and playful. Animal behaviorists and biologists for about 300 years have been told that
Read moreShaping pet behavior
Last week this column talked about how to capture a behavior or take a snap shot of what an animal does so we could see that behavior performed again. Sometimes animals don’t perform a behavior that we would like to see in its entirety. An example would be dog agility. Dogs are not going to go through the weave pole,
Read moreAs Bob Barker said…
Spay and neuter your pets! Over the next few weeks, I reach an important milestone in my veterinary school career. Assisted by two of my classmates (and supervised by plenty of doctors in case things go awry), I will be spaying a cat, and thus performing my first surgery on a living, breathing patient. I’m very excited for this opportunity,
Read moreCapturing a Behavior
Being able to communicate with animals is something all animal lovers and trainers aspire toward. Having an expression that signals to the animal that they did something correct and a treat will be provided, is essential if you want that behavior to be presented again. This expression is called a bridge. Bridges in training like actual bridges make an association
Read morePrimate Connections 2016 Calendars Now Available!
What fundraising project brings together 13 primate conservation organizations, numerous independent wildlife photographers, primate conservation societies, zoos, and various youth and educational organizations, all in the name of primate conservation? The 2016 Primate Connections calendar, of course! Click here to view entire calendar. This year we are especially excited as Dr. Jane Goodall has officially endorsed the project! Yes, that’s right. The
Read moreFact or Fiction?
When talking about fact and fiction, going to Snapple caps might not be the most accurate way of learning new information. The very first Snapple fact for instance says that “A Goldfish’s attention span is three seconds.” I can reject that fact quite easily, but for the sake of science I have done some research. Performing a quick Google search
Read moreQ&A pets, scratching cat, love birds and fish
How do I get my cat to stop scratching on the furniture? Tracie D. Niagara Falls I can understand if both your furniture and your nerves are shredded. I would strongly advise against declawing your cat. Scratching is a natural behavior in cats and can’t be stopped. So our option is redirection. I just moved from a wood floor house
Read more10 Reasons Why the Galápagos are Interesting
…to be in the place where Darwin first made these notes would be monumental (as a scientist) and magnificent (as a citizen of the world)!
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DANTAisms 