16 Henrik Futtrup: Training Individual Flocks to Recall in a Aviary

Animal Training Fundamentals with Barbara Heidenreich

What is your dream behavior to train? I have a feeling for many bird keepers it just might be this one! Imagine having a mixed species aviary in which each flock of birds recalls to a different sound and shifts into their own holding area. This dream is reality for Henrik Futtrup a keeper and trainer at the Copenhagen Zoo. In this podcast he not only shares the steps he took to train the behavior but also important details about antecedent arrangement, species specific considerations and how this behavior really paid off in an emergency. And in truth, this concept can be applied to any mixed species habitats…not just birds. I also answer one of your questions about how to train quick response to the cue when training for recall…. especially when there are lots of distractions.