Goal

Setting Goals and Planning Questions

Understanding the natural history and individual history of an animal is the first step in developing a training program for a particular animal. These questions about natural history, individual history, staffing and facility design are meant to assist in compiling information about the animal to be trained. This list is not an exhaustive list, but hopefully the answers to these questions will enable a keeper to identify and develop the most appropriate goals and training methods for a particular animal.

*The answers to these questions have been filled out for Cotton-top tamarins*

What is this animal’s previous history? Was this individual parent-raised or hand-raised? Does this animal have any behavioral problems or behavior peculiarities? Has this animal been trained to perform any previous behaviors? Describe the cues, criteria, bridging stimuli, reinforcements (both food and non-food), and reinforcement schedules that are used. If possible, describe techniques that were used to train previous behaviors. Priscilla was acquired from another AZA institution. Priscilla and her brother were rejected by their mother immediately after birth. They were pulled and hand-raised for a period of time. Priscilla’s brother died and Priscilla was returned to the group. Priscilla, her mother (Alex), and her father (Noah) now reside together. To our knowledge, this group has had no previous training.

Does the species inhabit primarily arboreal, terrestrial, or aquatic environments or does it switch between them at times? Cotton top tamarins are arboreal. In the wild, they are rarely on the ground.

How does the animal behave in response to changes in temperature and weather? What is the optimal temperature for this animal? The optimal temperature for cotton-top tamarins is between 76-85’F, with 50 to 70 percent humidity. If the temperature rises above 90’F, the cotton-tops become lethargic and spend a lot of time sleeping in the shade. If the temperature drops below 65’ F, the cotton-tops will huddle under a heat source or go into their heated nest boxes. Tamarins will seek cover if it is raining.

In the wild, when is this species most active (diurnal, nocturnal, crepuscular)? Are there times of the day when this animal seems most receptive to the keeper? Cotton-top tamarins are diurnal. They are very food motivated. However, in our particular situation, we have found that they have a shorter attention span near scheduled feeding times (7:30 and 2:00). We have found that 11:00 works well, in between their two feedings.

What does it look like when this animal is comfortable/calm? What do fearful behaviors look like in this species? How does this animal respond when stressed? Cotton-tops are very active primates. Comfortable/calm behaviors include grooming, sunning, play behavior, and investigatory (e.g., bug hunting). If a cotton-top becomes alarmed or fearful, increased vocalizations occur, hair becomes piloerect, and they may frown. Tongue-flicking will often occur when stressed or frightened. When alarmed, vocalizations will escalate in intensity and frequency, often becoming slicing screams.

What are its primary sensory modalities (e.g., sight, sound, smell)? Cotton-tops have excellent sight, smell, and hearing. They are scent-markers, so spend a lot of time smelling and scent-marking. Cotton-tops can see color and have keen eyesight. Excellent hearing aids in communication (within own group and to other nearby groups) and also helps protect against predators. They have a complex vocal repertoire, with at least 38 distinct vocalizations.

Is the animal naturally social or solitary in the wild? )? Is the animal managed in a social group or as an individual? What are this species’ primary social behaviors and what do they look like (e.g., aggression, courtship, affiliative behavior Can the animal be easily separated from the social group? How does the animal behave when separated? How does the rest of the group behave when that animal is separated? Cotton-tops are social and live in family groups. They become very stressed if they see another group of cotton-tops. In the wild, they stay separated by listening to another groups’ vocalizations, and will avoid each other if possible. In captivity, if different groups of cotton-tops are within visual sight of one another, they will be continuously stressed. When cotton-tops are able to see neighboring groups, it is quite common to observe displaced aggression. Since the tamarins are unable to repel their neighbors, they will often bite/attack their cage mates. Separations from within the group can be achieved with training, although cotton-tops become more anxious the longer they are separated. If an animal is temporarily removed from the group, long-calls are often made in an effort to locate the missing tamarin. It is not recommended to keep a family member separated for very long (i.e. several days) as the group may become unstable and have difficulty accepting the tamarin back into the group.

How does this animal currently respond to its caretaker (both during keeper-solicited interactions and outside of planned interactions)? To new staff members? To veterinarian? To visitors/guests/strangers? Is there any noticeable reaction to a particular gender (men vs. women)? Currently there are 5 keepers that care for the cotton-tops. However, there is only one primary trainer. When the primary trainer approaches, the cotton-tops seem to initiate interaction and are curious to see what the trainer has brought (enrichment items, both food and non-food, training props, etc). If a keeper approaches, they appear less interactive. They are generally curious about new staff members. These particular cotton-tops tend to become alarmed if several people approach the exhibit together. The tamarins are desensitized to many new people watching them from the front of the exhibit, because they are on a pathway that leads to a main part of the park. However, if people enter the hallway or stand in back of the exhibit, then they become alarmed. There has been no noticeable reaction to a particular gender. It is often useful for new staff members to use favorite food items to build a trusting relationship with the tamarins.

What does the species feed on in the wild? How does this species procure and process its food? What is this individual animal’s normal diet? What are the food items that seem to be the most desirable to this individual? What is the feeding routine for this animal? In the wild, cotton-top tamarins feed primarily on fruits and insects, but have also been observed eating small birds, lizards, and eggs. In captivity, cotton-tops are fed marmoset canned diet, fresh fruits and vegetables, and insects. Adult animals consume on average 152 kcal/g body weight. The most desirable food items are insects and sweet fruits, especially grapes. The cotton-tops are fed at approximately 7:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Training sessions occur daily at 11:00, and favorite foods are used as the rewards.

What is the animal’s primary function in the collection (e.g., breeding, exhibition, or educational programs)? What is this animal’s normal daily routine? What are the routine husbandry procedures that are desirable for this animal to be able to do? The animal’s primary function in the collection is for a research study on a new contraceptive implant. Four groups are participating in the implant study, and Priscilla is the offspring of a female in the study. All groups are on exhibit, and will also be used for educational programs. Here at Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park, students will be observing their reactions to cotton-top calls played by a tape recorder. The tamarins also provide a link to the field conservation program, Proyecto Titi, in Colombia. Routine husbandry procedures that are trained or are in progress include: scale, shift, separation, target, crate, station (to a colored clip), and syringe. All groups are desensitized to keepers and research interns entering their exhibit at dawn for fecal collections for the contraceptive study; a pan is simply held under the cotton-tops in order to collect the fecal sample.

Are there any medical conditions common to this species that need to be monitored? Could training facilitate this monitoring? What procedures are necessary for an annual exam? Does this individual animal have any medical problems or area on the body that is particularly sensitive to touch? How often will procedures need to be done (e.g., daily insulin injections verses yearly vaccine)? Captive cotton-top tamarins are prone to developing colitis and colon cancer. They were brought in by the tens of thousands during the 1970’s for biomedical research on these diseases. Priscilla has no medical problems and does not exhibit signs of colitis or colon cancer (warning signs are diarrhea and weight loss). For the contraceptive study, the females will be receiving a new implant every 6 months. A behavior that would benefit them would be to train them to enter an induction chamber. Once in the induction chamber, the chamber could be hooked up to the isoflourane gas and the tamarin would not have to be handled at all. Syringe training could facilitate delivery of medicine should a cotton-top ever need to be medicated. Carefully monitoring the LNG (contraceptive) site for abscesses or infection is also important, so training the tamarins to present parts of the body (such as their back, where the LNG is injected) would be helpful.

Are there specific pieces of equipment/facility design considerations that are necessary to perform procedures? Describe all aspects of the equipment (what does the equipment look, sound, smell, feel like?). A solid scale that has a large surface area is recommended for weighing the tamarins. The scale we use measures to the nearest gram. We found that sensitive scales (i.e. measuring to the tenth of gram) were more difficult to read because they jumped around too much. The scale should be high enough so that the tamarins’ tails do not rest on perching or shelves during weighing.

Facility Considerations (Questions 13-17 can assist in developing a facility design that is the most functional for a training project, or the development of a training plan that takes the facility design into consideration.)

Is there a space that is safe for the keeper, veterinarian, and animal to interact? Is this a space that the animal can have easy access to? We have a hallway that runs behind the four exhibits that allows for close observation without entering the tamarin’s exhibit. We also have a shift cage that the animals can be shifted into in order to work in the exhibit (disinfection of perching and shelves, planting new plants, etc.).

Does the design of the facility cause encroachment into the animal’s personal space? We have found that the tamarins seem to feel more comfortable up high, rather than coming down to our height when participating in training sessions. A step-ladder and high shelf have been helpful in training the tamarins.

Does the facility allow animals to be easily separated from one another or moved easily? Yes; we have a shift cage that animals can be separated into. Transporting tamarins can be accomplished by crate training them.

Is the location of cage furniture a hindrance/help to the training process? Tamarins prefer to be up high, so most of the perching and shelves are located above keepers’ heads. A step-ladder is helpful when training the tamarins.

Is the facility designed in such a way so that an animal has the opportunity to habituate to potentially frightening areas or equipment (e.g., acclimate to squeeze chutes, working panels)? Are there ways to limit unpredictable distractions (e.g., high traffic areas)? The hallway is a great place to desensitize the tamarins to potentially frightening objects. The item can be left there so the animals have a chance to watch it for a long time. Because the tamarins are on a high traffic pathway and are in outdoor exhibits, there is no way to limit unpredictable distractions ( noisy children, seeing-eye dogs, and hawks are a few).

Staffing considerations (Questions 18-20 can assist in the development of a staffing plan that will support your training program.)

Who will be doing the training? How many people does it take to do a training session? How often will the training sessions take place? When will the training sessions occur? A keeper that cares daily for the cotton-tops is the primary trainer. Here at Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park, only one is needed for a training session, although an extra set of eyes observing is very helpful. It is also helpful to desensitize the tamarins to another person standing in the exhibit during training sessions who can take photographs and video footage of the training sessions. Training sessions occur daily, five days a week, from 11:00-12:00. For larger groups of tamarins, more than one trainer per session would be helpful.

How will the staff be trained and how will new keepers be integrated into the training team? Once a behavior is trained by the primary trainer, other keepers from the area will be incorporated into the training process to maintain the behavior. Staff will need to be familiar with each cotton-top and with cotton-top vocalizations and body postures, and comfortable working in close proximity to the tamarins. New keepers will read the Cotton-top Tamarin Husbandry Manual and become familiar with the cotton-top websites. A keeper learning to ask a tamarin a trained behavior will be carefully integrated into working the tamarins, and will begin by reading the Cotton-top Training Manual and observing training sessions before working a tamarin. The keeper will also need to be familiar with the record keeping process and data entry of the training notes.

In addition to the staff in the area, will additional assistance be necessary for the training (veterinarians, veterinarian technicians, or interns)? If so, how often? Having the cotton-tops desensitized to new faces in the hallway is a good idea. A veterinarian or technician may need to observe the tamarins from the hallway or perform a body inspection from the hallway. Every six months new interns arrive that need to enter the exhibits in the morning for fecal collection. The tamarins are always introduced to them through the hallway, and the interns bring treats to feed them through the hallway. After approximately 3 sessions, the interns may enter the exhibit for fecal collections.