What does a marine mammal trainer really do?
A. One obvious answer to this question is that we train dolphins, whales, seals, sea lions, walruses and other marine mammals using a system of positive reinforcement called “operant conditioning”. Behaviors are taught to help educate and entertain people through our shows, demonstrations and interactive programs. However, this is just one small part of the job. Our primary responsibility is always to maintain and enhance the health and well-being of the animals in our care. To achieve this goal marine mammal trainers must understand and work hard to ensure that their animals are provided with the highest quality food, aquatic environments, structural habitats, social and behavioral opportunities and medical care. Training can be an extremely powerful tool in meeting these goals. For example, animals are routinely taught “husbandry” or “veterinary” behaviors that allow us to monitor and track their health status and even treat them when necessary with the least amount of delay or stres
