Turing the Pages, One by One

It's not much, but it's everything I would need ...

The upcoming thesis presentation and exam dates are fast approaching, and with each passing day, the butterflies multiply.  I'm not alone with this condition, which in some twisted sense, makes me feel better, but I won't entirely be back to normal until this event has passed.  The small group of students that embarked upon this journey 3 years ago has managed to pull together through thick and thin, and our last gathering together is a combination of mixed, bittersweet emotions.

It's times like these when I feel I could so happily slip away into the fantasy of a Bohemian lifestyle ~ and without a doubt, I would do it in one of these.  It's my definition of the original Mercedes Benz ...the ultimate cadillac of contentment.  The vision is so real at this particular segway in my career shift, that I would swear my daughter is perched on the wagon's ledge below ...strangely enough, it really does resemble her.

I've recently begun the long process of looking for work.  Sometimes, I'm convinced that the sole purpose of the job search is to elevate the status of the 'employed,' and for the aging applicant ...it is entirely an exercise designed to test the  strength ones self-worth!  I have to chuckle here -in almost every posting I see for wildlife animal related work, the one constant is that the applicant must be able to lift 75 pounds.  There's nothing much mentioned about what goes on inside ones head, but this test of strength apparently is crucial.  So yes, finding work will not be easy  -mainly because wildlife facilities still tend to hire zookeepers, and then encourage them to learn animal training by attending a seminar or two on the subject.  

My concern with hiring zookeepers to train animals can be exemplified from my recent experience in the Swedish wildlife park.  The senior carnivore zookeeper, when talking about the stress-related behaviors of their wildcats, stated: "I don't know why they behave like this ...they know I bring the food everyday."   It sounded logical enough - she did bring the food, but given the cat's 'netting and crating' history with humans, their avoidance behaviors were firmly in place, and 100% self reinforcing at this point.  When I constructed the cat's entire behavioral chain, and then grounded it in theory, her conclusions were not logical at all.  In truth, the scenario  looked like this: 


1. the sound of the approaching food truck was the cats cue to RUN! -which resulted in (R-) [negative reinforcement, usually associated with the feeling of 'relief'] 


2.  the zookeeper's approaching footsteps and the sound of the enclosure gate opening was the cue for the cats to engage in the avoidance behavior of their choice (run or hide) - which resulted again in R-


3.  the closing of the enclosure gate and the zookeeper's departing footsteps was the cue to come out of hiding to forage and eat - which resulted in R+ 


So, when you understand the theory behind the surface behaviors you see, contrary to the senior zookeeper's logic, positive reinforcement for the cats didn't occur until she actually  left !  Everything else she did, up to the point of her departure, was an aversive (a positive punisher).


Understanding learned patterns of behavior is the foundation for effective training.  I rest my case -it is in the facilities and the animals' best interest to have behaviorists or trainers on staff.

But for tonight, I'll step out of this transitional phase between 'obtaining knowledge' and 'using knowledge,' and I'll allow myself to temporarily slide into the mindset of a carefree, vagabond life ...just for a few brief moments anyway.

Lesson Learned:

One must write the unknown page by page, 

and with the turning of each page, the chapters will someday tell your life's story