A LOOK AT MY WILD SIDE  

I have not just always trained and worked with domestic pets.  One animal that I have enjoyed working with is camels.  I have experience with both Dromedary and Bactrian camels of which Bactrians seem to be a little more easy going.  I did a lot of reading and research over the years into how camels,  horses,  and other "beasts of burden" were traditionally trained.  And what I have found in my research has paralleled my observations I experienced over the years while I was training.  The common link being fear.  Fear seems to be what trainers were trying to eliminate during the training process.   People today refer to trainers as "whispering" or using "natural horsemanship" styles of training.   To tell you the truth,  all of these styles can be explained simply through learning theory and the science of Operant Conditioning.  Operant Conditionng covers all aspects of animal conditioning and behavioral modification techniques.

EVEN LLAMAS NEED A LITTLE DIRECTIONS SOMETIMES  

During a trip to Lima Peru where I was hired to train a group of elephants,  I was asked to help a local eco-tourist company train some of their llamas for trekking.  I would have thought that in the country that these animals are idiginous to, the locals would have had an expertise in handling them.  What I had discovered was that the locals would farm these animals for their wool instead of training them specifically for socialization amongst people.

BATH TIME IN ASIA

Washing and bathing elephants is nothing short of pure joy.  Never was there a time when I was around elephants that I did not take the time to give them a bath.  One of my mentors used to say "elephants and water are synonomous".  This little girl is part of a group of thirty plus elephants that I was responsible for in Phuket, Thailand.  My duties there also included training the forty Quan Chang or elephant keepers.  I will always love Thailand and its people.

I must admit I have a great fondness for elephants

A recent visit in April with my old friend, Ina. I had not see her in probably 25 years. Even elephants will succumb to a tickle every now and then.