(Photo by B. Richter, NMFS Permit No. 932-1905)

Hō‘ailona performing a target behavior on a buoy.

Hō‘ailona enjoying a new toy he was given in the morning.

(Photo by B. Richter,

NMFS Permit No. 932-1905)

MARCH 2010  ~ Classes Begin

Being a freshmen at UC Santa Cruz has kept Hō‘ailona very busy over the past month.  His “classes” are teaching him a great deal about life at the university, how to work with his caregivers, and how to interact with his environment.

Beginning Training 101:

Through the use of operant conditioning and positive reinforcement training, Hō‘ailona has learned many new behaviors to allow him to voluntarily participate in his own care.  Working with and training Hō‘ailona is very similar to training a very smart dog.  Among the first behaviors Hō‘ailona learned was a chin station and a nose target.  A target is an object that pinpoints a specific location for an animal to touch, in this case the buoy on the end of a pole.  By learning how to target, Hō‘ailona can now be shown where we want him to go and it helps us complete our working relationship with him.

Hō‘ailona has also learned numerous other behaviors:

1. •Enter the water upon request
   

2. •Hold in the water for trainer to enter and exit
   

3. •Heel along side of a trainer to move from one are to the next
   

4. •Allow his temperature to be taken
   

5. •Lie Down
   

6. •Morphometrics (girth and length)
   

7. •Weight (sit on a scale platform)
   

8. •Eye exams
   

9. •Open mouth exams

Hō‘ailona will continue to work on learning new behaviors, building up his repertoire on a daily basis.

Environmental Enrichment 101:

Typical of a first year student, Hō‘ailona has been very inquisitive of his new environment.  He has been observed investigating all areas of his pool and deck, as well as the under water areas of his enclosure.  Additionally, his hard working care staff has been busily creating novel types of enrichment to add to his living space to provide Hō‘ailona with an environment that is never exactly the same two days in a row.  This has included such items as playing Beach Boys and Hawaiian style music as well as hanging fresh water hoses in his enclosure to provide him the opportunity to interact in the falling water.  Some of his favorite items so far  are items he can push around on the bottom of the pool and wrap both his flippers around.

Overall Hō‘ailona is a straight A student and looking forward to the upcoming month full of new adventures.

February 2010

March 2010

April 2010

May 2010

June 2010

July 2010

August 2010

September 2010

October 2010

November 2010

January 2011

April 2011