Training of North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) to allow for subcutaneous injections using positive reinforcement * Anela Medeiros B.S. Candidate, Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Stanislaus, 1 University Circle, Turlock, CA 95382 Received 17 April, 2018; accepted 15 May 2018 Abstract Most captive animals live well past their average lifespan in the wild and this longevity increases the frequency and number of medical procedures needed to maintain their health and welfare. Most procedures require that the animal be restrained in some way, which can produce stress and trigger aggressive behavior. Positive reinforcement training can be used to lessen the stress experienced by the animal during minor medical procedures such as vaccinations, blood draws, and administering medications, and to protect the handlers and veterinary staff from physical adaptations, such as sharp teeth, claws, or quills, that could pose a potential threat. A squeeze box is often used to gently restrain small-to-medium sized animals during medical procedures, but abrupt introduction of the apparatus can result in extreme confinement-related stress and aggression. The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) is a good candidate for squeeze box restraint and this paper presents the formulation, implementation, and outcome of a shaping plan developed to introduce and acclimate a young North American porcupine at the Lindsay Wildlife Experience in Walnut Creek, California, to a squeeze box. This shaping plan divides the medical procedure of giving subcutaneous injections into small steps to which the porcupine was introduced and acclimated during three training phases completed January-April, 2018. The use of a squeeze box as a form of restraint proved to reduce stress in the porcupine and also increased the safety of the keeper and veterinary staff. Some amendments to the shaping plan were made, but all retained training goals were completed within the four-month time period of the project. This shaping plan establishes a protocol for injection training for North American porcupines using a squeeze box that can be expanded at facilities that house North American porcupines for use in other procedures and adapted for use with other small-to-medium sized, potentially dangerous animals. Keywords: porcupine, shaping plan, positive reinforcement Introduction animal care facilities, veterinary care is available for animals whether it be an on-call veterinarian or a Non-releasable wild animals serve as awe-inspiring veterinarian resident on site. However, the experience ambassadors for their species and allow the average of veterinary exams and medical procedures can be very person to come into close contact with many species stressful for captive animals as well as their keepers and they will never have the chance to see firsthand in the handlers. Repetitive exposure to high stress situations is wild. Non-releasable animal ambassadors come to be harmful to the physiology of the animals and can thus housed in captive facilities through several different shorten their lifespans. A common strategy among zoo scenarios. The most common include a debilitating keepers to help lower the stress of animals during injury that prevents the animal from being successful medical examinations and procedures is to use positive out in the wild. In other situations, animals are raised in reinforcement training to familiarize the animal with the close proximity to humans and thus never develop the steps of the procedure before the actual date of the exam. proper fear response to humans and develop instead a Positive reinforcement training (PRT) is a form of dependency on them for survival. This is known as operant conditioning learning used in modern zoos to habituation. The care for these non-releasable animals capture and cue specific behaviors and increase their involves, but is not limited to, cleaning, feeding, repeatability by rewarding animals for performing such veterinary care, enrichment, and training. Several behaviors (Skinner 1938, Skinner 1966). The goal is to species of mammals have been found to have increased have the animal associate the performance of this longevity in captive situations due to the lack of behavior with a positive experience—such as food or stressors including predation, food availability, disease, tactile interaction—that helps motivate the animal to and competition (Tidiere et al 2016). However, with this perform the behavior on cue in order to have that increased longevity comes an increase in health positive experience again. Despite the lack of natural complications associated with old age. In zoos and other stressors mentioned previously, such as predation and * Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] competition for resources, there are still stress-inducing situations that could arise in the environments of animals in human care. Psychological welfare of animals in human care can be compromised due to lack of control over environment, lack of ability or opportunities to display species-specific behaviors, and negative human interaction. The introduction of PRT to the daily husbandry of animals in human care has been shown to have several positive effects. In most cases, it reduced the occurrence of abnormal and stereotypic behaviors (Pomerantz & Terkel 2009, Spiezio 2017). This can be attributed to the increased control the animal has of its environment and the opportunity for the animal to choose how it spends its time and exerts its energy. PRT is a form of both environmental and psychological enrichment because it allows for physical manipulation as well as problem solving which offers opportunities for novel learning through the variability of the animal’s daily schedule and husbandry (Ward & Melfi 2013). PRT also serves to create a positive relationship between caretakers and animals by building Figure 1. Penelope at approximately 1 years of age. trust in training sessions which helps to create a relaxed for the rest of her life. A North American porcupine in atmosphere in situations that would traditionally be the wild typically lives between five to seven years, but stressful for animals—such as veterinary exams (Ward in captivity they can live up to 20 years. Penelope is a & Melfi 2013, Spiezio et al 2017). non-releasable animal ambassador, used in educational Through PRT sessions, animal keepers can programming to spread awareness about her species and promote natural behaviors that allow for an animal’s conservation of natural lands. Born in captivity, physical health to be monitored. With close monitoring Penelope cannot be released to the wild because she was a keeper can immediately determine whether an not parent-raised, therefore, she did not learn the proper animal’s body condition has begun to deteriorate based behaviors from her mother to be successful in the wild. on musculature or if an injury has been occurred by Also, North American porcupines are listed as a species noticing a limp or cut made visible during the physical of least concern by the International Union for activity of the training session. By participating in Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and there is not an regular training sessions, keepers can catch the active reintroduction program for this species because incidence of injury or illness quickly and can then their populations are not currently reported as in decline arrange the proper medical care. Also, with the (Emmons 2016). One benefit provided to Penelope for knowledge of upcoming medical treatments, keepers living in a captive situation is long-term veterinary care, can prepare an animal for a medical exam or procedure including any vaccinations, antibiotics, or other medical through training sessions. For example, at the Oakland procedures necessary to ensure her best health and well- Zoo in California, the natural behavior of leaning and being. rubbing against trees to scent mark territory borders in The defenses that help North American porcupines tigers (Panthera tigris) has been captured to be used for survive in the wild, however, complicate veterinary care medical training with the animals. The tigers are asked in that most surfaces of their body—excluding the to lean against a chain-link fence so that a veterinary stomach, bottoms of feet, and parts of their face—are technician on the other side of the fence is able to have covered in approximately 30,000 quills (Cho et al. access to the tiger’s side to administer an injection 2012). North American porcupine quills are distinctly without sharing space with the tiger. This is a common different in structure from the quills of other related method of providing veterinary care for animals in species of porcupine in that the ends of their quills have facilities that have a protected contact policy, where, for microscopic barbs that increase penetration and most species of animals, keepers and other staff always adhesion to flesh (Cho et al. 2012). Because these quills have at least one barrier between themselves and the are potentially dangerous to handlers and veterinarians animal to promote both human and animal safety. it is necessary that some sort of restraining or protective An 18-month old female North American device be used to make medical procedures safer for porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) named Penelope both the human and the animal. (Figure 1) is housed at the Lindsay Wildlife Experience in Walnut Creek, California, and will receive care there For a North American porcupine, a squeeze box Methods eliminates some of the danger their quills pose. When Penelope is relaxed, her quills lie flat against her skin. I designed my shaping plan by reviewing injection If she is startled, her muscles contract and her guard shaping plans written for other species of animals hairs are lifted to expose the erected quills beneath because I could not locate a shaping plan created (Figure 2). A squeeze box keeps the guard hairs from specifically for North American porcupines, or any lifting to expose the quills and also places a barrier other porcupine species.