Connecting Animal Enthusiasts: A Collaboration Between East Bay SPCA and Oakland Zoo
In an exciting exchange of ideas and practices, East Bay SPCA partnered with Oakland Zoo’s education department to spotlight the intersection of training, enrichment, and animal care. This collaboration stemmed from a unique “trade” idea: Oakland Zoo graciously invited our BARK program students to a complimentary zoo field trip that highlighted their training and enrichment techniques used with the zoo animals. In return, East Bay SPCA hosted a program for the zoo’s Teen Wild Guides (TWGs), introducing them to our shelter’s training approaches and highlighting the many similarities between our methods and those used in zoo settings.
The program aimed to:
- Highlight Our Shelter’s Work: Showcase the shelter’s programs, facilities, and practices.
- Inspire Animal Career Aspirations: Discuss and model potential career pathways in animal care and training.
- Draw Parallels in Training Practices: Emphasize how behavior science influences procedures, focusing on techniques like LIMA (Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive), Fear Free, LIFE (Least Inhibitive, Functionally Effective), and Cooperative Care practices.
- Demonstrate Clicker Training Foundations: Provide a hands-on demonstration of foundation-level clicker training with a companion animal.
Program Details
The TWGs met at the shelter’s iconic Paw Print entrance and embarked on a tour that ended at the Education & Training building. Key highlights included how the shelter prioritizes stress reduction. Worth noting were elements such as:
- Dog and Cat Housing: Separate spaces tailored to their specific needs.
- Feline Comfort: Hiding spots to create a sense of safety for cats.
- Enrichment Practices: How enrichment keeps animals mentally stimulated and engaged.
Education: Cooperative Care Presentation
We shared information with our guests that highlighted how the shelter integrates Fear Free principles, even in challenging circumstances where complex voluntary behaviors can be trained. This impressive technique is also used in zoos effectively to create a safe space for animals and their caretakers to handle what can be otherwise difficult tasks. Whether it’s something as tricky as taking blood from a tiger or training a dog to cooperate with getting their nails trimmed, this type of training is ideal for building communication and trust between animals and humans.
Hands on Clicker Training
Our program included a live clicker training demonstration featuring Boba! This lovable staff dog really enjoyed the teens and they adored the sweet, clever pooch who perfectly demonstrated how to master the wanted behavior = nose targeting. Attendees saw firsthand how foundational skills are taught using positive reinforcement, demonstrating the practical application of behavior science in real time. It is unclear whether the bigger smiles were from the teens or Boba, but everyone really enjoyed this part of the day.
Building Bridges Through Shared Practices
This collaboration not only underscored the parallels in training and enrichment practices across organizations but also fostered deeper appreciation and understanding of how behavior science shapes compassionate animal care. By modeling innovative approaches and career pathways, we hope to inspire the next generation of animal caregivers and advocates.
The partnership with Oakland Zoo reflects East Bay SPCA’s commitment to education, collaboration, and advancing the welfare of animals both in shelters and beyond. We look forward to future opportunities to connect, learn, and grow together!
But wait, that’s not all!
The conversation with this engaged group prompted us to create a resource sheet that includes information about career paths in animal care and training! This handy document shares teen-specific way to get involved in meaningful work that paves the way to more involvement within our sector. CLICK HERE to view and download this helpful pdf.