Abstract

In a zoological setting, the care each animal receives is the best gift we can give our greatest asset. For the second year in a row, IMATA would like to share the highlights of award winning presentations from the 2010 conference. Sharing these methods with the members of the IAAAM as well as other like-minded organizations ensures the dissemination of the training industry's behavioral evolution of well-rehearsed protocols for husbandry management.

Winning examples of presentations include the conditioned handling of Asian small-clawed river otters (Aonyx cinerea), the training of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) to participate in an open ocean heart rate study, and the hand rearing of orphaned California sea lion pups (Zalophus californianus) and the potential role they will play in genetic variability and population management.

Acknowledgements

IMATA would like to acknowledge and thank all facilities that support and provide opportunities through which marine animal trainers can exchange and disseminate current knowledge, research, and other information in a professional and social setting.