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• Positive reinforcement training is used in zoos to teach animals to voluntarily participate in procedures
• Researchers aimed to determine the effectiveness of secondary positive reinforcement (SPR) in training elephants for tuberculosis testing.
• The study focused on training elephants to voluntarily participate in a trunk wash.
• Traditional methods rely on punishment and aversion techniques.
• Traditional methods use a bamboo stick called "kocha" in Nepal, to inflict pain.
• Zoos are trying a different approach by switching to protected contact.
• Protected contact improves keeper safety by maintaining a barrier.
• Protected contact relies on positive reinforcement or reward-based training.
• Positive reinforcement uses a sound marker as a secondary reinforcer, followed by food.
• Secondary positive reinforcement (SPR) training helps indicate the expected behavior by minimizing the delay in reinforcement.
• With positive reinforcement, handlers can request behavior in a reliable and voluntary manner.
• SPR increases creativity, choice, control, and problem-solving for the animal.
• SPR creates safer conditions for the handlers, and generally improved psychological well being of the elephants.
• Positive reinforcement trains animals to accept veterinary procedures.
• Willingness to participate in veterinary procedures allows for easier sample collection and a reduced need for anesthesia.
• Effective training could greatly enhance the collection of sputum samples for tuberculosis (TB) testing.
• Elephant TB, is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a significant health concern in captive populations.
• The USAHA Elephant Tuberculosis Subcommittee recommends annual testing among captive herds.
• The current gold standard is bacterial culture of a sputum sample obtained using a trunk wash.
• Elephant Care International has encountered significant challenges in obtaining quality trunk wash samples for TB testing.
• The study aimed to determine the feasibility of using SPR training to teach elephants to participate in a trunk wash.

Methods

• Five female elephants were used in the study and were housed at the same elephant stable in Nepal.
• Four juvenile elephants (5-7 years old) and one adult female (50s) were selected for the study.
• Elephants were selected based on docility, lack of pregnancy, and handler willingness.
• All elephants had been previously trained with traditional methods and had no prior SPR training.
• Elephants grazed in the jungle under the control of mahouts and were leg-chained to posts in open stalls for the remainder of the day and night.
• The elephants' diet consisted of fresh grasses and "dhana" (grain, nutritional supplements, and grasses).
• Elephants had access to the river for water during grazing time
• The training method used was entirely the SPR technique, using chopped bananas as the primary reinforcer and a short whistle blow as the secondary reinforcer.
• Training sessions were conducted in the morning and afternoon while elephants were chained in their stalls.
• Elephants could indicate a preference not to participate in training sessions.
• Mahouts were present for safety but were instructed not to interfere with the training.
• Training required the elephant to put the end of her trunk in the trainer's hand and allow the trainer to instill saline or sterile water into the trunk.
• The elephant had to lift the trunk upward, hold the fluid, lower the tip into a collection container, and blow the sample out.
• The elephants were trained to actively move their trunks on their own in response to a cue.
• Initially, elephants learned the bridge between the whistle blow and banana reward.
• Elephants were then trained in basic tasks using the capture, lure, and shaping techniques.
• Verbal cues were monosyllabic words created to avoid any misconception on the mahouts' part.
• The trainer progressed to creating strings of behaviors via behavioral chaining once the elephant was skilled

Trained Behaviors

• Trunk Here: Placing the trunk end in the trainer's outstretched hand.

• Trunk Up: Lifting the trunk upward.

• Bucket: Placing the trunk end in a bucket.

• Blow: Exhaling strongly through the trunk.

• Steady: Holding a previously requested position.

• Syringe: Holding the trunk in the trunk-here position for a catheter tip insertion.

• Blow into Bucket: Placing the trunk end in the bucket and exhaling strongly.

• Trunk Down: Holding the trunk in a relaxed position.

• Trunk Out: Holding the trunk straight outward.

• Targeting: Moving to touch a stick with their forehead.

• The elephant first learned to blow consistently into the bucket.

• The elephant was rewarded for blows made in contact with the bucket and was shaped for blows centered inside the bucket only.

• The separate behaviors were paired in different combinations and practiced in multiple behavior sequences.

• The trainer desensitized the elephants and used counterconditioning methods.

• The syllabus syringe and sample fluid were introduced to the trunk-here position, and the elephants were rewarded for remaining.

• The syringe was gradually brought closer to the trunk tip until contact was made.

• Increasing amounts of fluid were introduced, starting with just a drop.

• All elephants started with 0.9% saline and were then transitioned to plain water.

• Each elephant was offered water to drink to reduce the likelihood that they would drink the solution.

• Progression through the training was based on individual success and tailored to individual needs.

• Assistants recorded session times and the number of offers made for each behavior.

• They also administered performance tests and determined passing scores.

• An 80% or higher success rate was considered a passing score.

• Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, including means and standard error.

Results and Discussion

• All four juvenile elephants successfully learned the trunk wash.
• The adult elephant, Elephant 5, did not.
• Elephant 2 passed her final test after 25 training sessions.
• Elephant 1 passed her test after 30 training sessions.
• Elephants 3 and 4 passed their tests after 35 training sessions.
• Elephant 5 was never tested because she did not learn the necessary components.
• All elephants passed all tests for the individual tasks prior to their final testing session, with a few exceptions.
• Elephant 5 never passed her blow into bucket, desensitization to syringe, and steady tests.
• Elephants 2 and 4 also never passed their steady tests, despite being able to pass their full trunk-wash tests.
• The trunk-here task required more offers than the bucket and blow-into-bucket tasks.
• Total training time ranged from 257 min for Elephant 2 to 451 min for Elephant 4
• Individual training time depends on prior experience, reward strength, and elephant stress level.
• The elephants’ performance improved from a mean success rate of 39.0% to 89.3%.
• Marked improvement validates the effectiveness of this training producing reliable behaviors.
• Four elephants reliably performed the trunk wash in 35 sessions or fewer.
• Short SPR training in behavioral management is shown efficient and utilitous.
• Difficulties of training were shown by the data corresponding to the number of session offers needed.
• Future studies could explore training for trunk washes, male elephants, more locations and settings and expanding to veterinary and husbandry uses.

Conclusion

• SPR can can train juvenile, free-contact, traditionally trained elephants who have no prior experience with SPR training.
• Elephants reliably respond and can learn new tasks.
• SPR can be a tool to imporve captive animal care programs.