Tuesday, July 22, 2008

#30: Voluntary Injection

During the course of the year our harbor seals and fur seals receive several vaccines. Training the seals to accept these injections voluntarily takes time and lots of patience. Watch the video of Amelia receiving her West Nile Virus vaccine and you'll see that the result of all that time and patience is an animal that deals with needles better than most people that I know, myself included.

-Paul

Labels: Amelia, Harbor Seals, injection, Paul, vaccine

3 Comments:

Trina said...: Bravo Amelia! Well Done!; July 29, 2008 7:05 AM
Anonymous said...: So scary! Is she OK?
Do mosquitoes bite the seals?; July 29, 2008 10:19 AM
Anonymous said...: kewl.; July 31, 2008 8:01 AM

About

Why do we train seals? There are lots of reasons. Training keeps these intelligent animals stimulated. They really seem to enjoy learning new behaviors. Training also helps develop a close, working relationship based on trust. It's this trusting relationship that allows Aquarium biologists to work in close proximity to the seals so they can get checkups. This blog provides a window into the life and work of the Aquarium's marine mammal trainers.