An examination of husbandry training in zoos: A scoping review

Abstract

The modern zoo has been characterised by the use of cooperative care training techniques to manage husbandry procedures. However, limited reviews or information are available in the peer-reviewed published literature about these techniques. In this review we examined the peer-reviewed literature exploring these training procedures, discovered which species were lacking research, and how different species responded to this training. Initially three online scientific databases were searched to locate papers for review. Once found, the PRISMA-ScR format was followed using the Covidence review tool to identify publications for inclusion, resulting in a final review of 20 papers. In most included papers, food was offered as a reward during training. None of the included papers utilised coercion and all successfully trained the goal behaviour. Over half of the studies were carried out in the USA. Training sessions lasting less than 20 min several times and days a week were most common. Studies were typically 20 to 30 weeks. Training via shaping, often in conjunction with clicker training, were the most frequently used techniques. Over half of the trained behaviours were intended to ease animal handling, with others assisting sample collection and medical treatment. Several knowledge gaps were identified within this topic as well as a strong bias towards training mammals. However, the few papers on non-mammal species illustrate the generality of reward-based training methods across taxa. Implications for future research are considered, including increased demonstrations across a variety of species and examinations of training challenges encountered.