International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management
International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management
International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management
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those working with her, from being bitten. For example, if she suddenly felt uncomfortable or<br />
afraid of a situation during training or husb<strong>and</strong>ry procedures, she might try to bite.<br />
A wooden frame was developed (Gatz 1997) <strong>and</strong> attached to the containment barrier fence<br />
lattice in one of the giant otter dens. (The den used is 4.5 m 2 [48.4 ft²] in size <strong>and</strong> the fence<br />
lattice mesh size in the den is 5 cm X 20 cm (2" x 8"). The aforementioned mesh size allows<br />
h<strong>and</strong>s, thin pole targets <strong>and</strong> the ultrasound head etc. to pass through the containment barrier.<br />
(This is a recommended size for these <strong>and</strong> other purposes. See Chapter 2.) The wooden frame<br />
allows Katja to st<strong>and</strong> in the frame, on a small wooden step, so that she is close enough to the<br />
lattice so that an ultrasound or other examinations can be carried out. Katja is stationed to st<strong>and</strong><br />
on the small wooden step with both of her hind feet. The frame measures 36 cm wide x 80 cm<br />
(14" x 31.5") high. The frame is just long enough so that a cross bar is just below the height of<br />
Katja’s head. This is supposed to protect <strong>and</strong> help prevent her from biting (which she never<br />
did). The step is just wide enough for her to st<strong>and</strong> on it with both hind feet. The step is 35 cm<br />
long X 11.5 cm wide (14" in x 4.5") <strong>and</strong> it is attached at the bottom of the frame. With this<br />
width, she must keep her body close to the fence <strong>and</strong> she is unable to make any large<br />
movements on this small step. The step is just about 20 cm (8") above ground, so it is easy for<br />
her to step up on it, but it is not so low to the ground that she is encouraged to step immediately<br />
off of it again.<br />
During the ultrasound examination, it is often helpful to try to keep close eye contact with Katja.<br />
This practice can help to extend the time she remains in the correct position.<br />
Training sessions usually only last up to 10 minutes; although, during the actual husb<strong>and</strong>ry<br />
procedures, such as during ultrasounds, we have been able to extend the sessions up to 30<br />
minutes or more when necessary. On some occasions, Katja initially did not station very well,<br />
but improved significantly later on, sometimes even without much food reinforcement.<br />
Ultrasound examinations are usually made once a week, if a pregnancy is suspected or if health<br />
problems are a possibility. They are also carried out after litter loss, usually, once per week<br />
initially <strong>and</strong> once every two weeks thereafter. (I.e. uterine size <strong>and</strong> condition is monitored.)<br />
Currently, we are also performing ultrasounds on a regular basis. It is necessary that Katja<br />
stations for at least 15 to 20 seconds to get acceptable results during the ultrasound <strong>and</strong> even this<br />
seemingly short stationing time can be difficult to accomplish.<br />
While Katja was trained to accept the ultrasound, Kuddel had to be kept busy somehow so he<br />
would not disturb or distract her. One of the ideas was, to train him to distinguish different<br />
shapes <strong>and</strong> colors. A small selection of wooden tools was made that consisted of circles <strong>and</strong><br />
triangles in red, white, or blue. Kuddel learned to accept the red triangle as his personal symbol<br />
<strong>and</strong> to identify it among the other symbols. This training was initially done in 1996 <strong>and</strong> 1997.<br />
After a break of almost four years, Kuddel still remembered <strong>and</strong> recognized his red triangle in<br />
2001 when the training was reinitiated.<br />
We use two targets with Katja. One is a long thin wooden pole with yellow duct tape at the end.<br />
She is trained to target with her nose on this target. The other target is a long thin wooden pole<br />
with a small wooden ball attached to one end. She is trained to use both targets at the same<br />
time. We found that because giant otters like to manipulate <strong>and</strong> hold objects we could use this<br />
to help keep her attentions focused on the target <strong>and</strong> stationing by giving a target for her to<br />
hold/h<strong>and</strong>le. This seems to help extend her interest <strong>and</strong> therefore somewhat helps to extend the<br />
time she stations. As well, the target with the wooden ball at one end can not be passed through<br />
the fence lattice, but the other target can be. We use the target without the ball, to pass through<br />
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