Dive Into Your Imagination

Meeting Harley and Moonshine was a wonderful experience!  I was nervous at first because I did not know how Mote’s two resident dolphins would react to me as a new trainer.  But everything could not have gone more perfectly!

Throughout my internship at Mote, I have been watching Harley and Moonshine’s training sessions from afar.  This has allowed me to observe training techniques and familiarize myself with the dolphins’ individual “personalities.”  Our trainers keep a detailed logbook of all feeding sessions, and one of my duties has been to help input this data onto the computer.  Simply reading and copying this data has taught me a great deal about specific behaviors, reinforcement strategies, and the psychology of training.  It is a lot more work than I ever imagined!  But now it was my turn to take all that I had learned, assist the dolphin trainers, and interact with Harley and Moonshine directly!

Before the session, we had a brief meeting to discuss the behaviors that would be practiced during the training.  I first assisted our trainer, Mary, with “gate training” Harley.  Gate training involves Harley entering and exiting a separated portion of the dolphin lagoon.  This helps when we need to separate Harley from Moonshine (like if we need to perform a medical exam, or weigh one of the dolphins).  I entered the water in the shallow end of the lagoon, unlocked the gate and pulled it open. After the signal was given, Harley raced to the gate entrance, then saw me and stopped.  She tilted her head to the side so her right eye was looking directly at me, and she swam back and forth a couple of times.  After she gave me a thorough “looking over,” she tossed her head and swam toward Mary, who was waiting with a pink target and fish.  Whew – I guess I passed the test! 

In the water, the first thing I noticed about Harley was how small she is compared to what I’m used to.  Harley is a spinner dolphin, and as such, is about 5’3” long.  Compared to the common bottlenose dolphins that are the species usually seen off the coastline and at places like SeaWorld, spinner dolphins are much smaller and have a very delicate, slender rostrum (beak).  I was immediately taken aback by how beautiful Harley is.  I never noticed this from seeing her so far away, but she is probably the prettiest dolphin I have ever seen.

While Harley was in the shallow end of the lagoon, I assisted Mary with “desensitizing” Harley to a canvas sling.  This means that we make sure she is comfortable with the equipment and the process.  This sling is used when we lift Harley for an exam or weigh her.  First, I sat on the edge of the lagoon and slowly lowered the sling into the water while Harley watched.  I slid into the water, and Harley was then “asked” to swim above the sling as I pulled it up and around her body.  Harley positioned herself beautifully and waited until Mary blew her whistle.  This whistle lets Harley know that the behavior is complete and correct, and that Harley deserves some fish!

After spending time with Harley, I assisted another trainer, Cris, working with Moonshine.  Cris is working on “passive restraints,” a term given for when we ask the dolphin to remain still while animal handlers hold, or restrain, the dolphin (this might be necessary during a medical exam).  To practice, I entered the water with Cris and another intern, and we placed our hands on the edge of the lagoon.  When asked, Moonshine swam through our arm “tunnel,” remained still, and let us place our arms around him to hold him close and steady. 

As we held him in the passive restraint, I had a chance to take a closer look at him.  I saw the thousands of tiny spots that make Moonshine a pantropical spotted dolphin.  He also has large scars on his back from a terrible sunburn he acquired when he was found stranded in the Florida Keys.  Moonshine held his position diligently, although I could tell he was a little uncomfortable.  We practiced a couple more times, and he improved with each try!  Soon enough, my touch didn’t seem to affect him at all.

Throughout the day I assisted with four training sessions.  Along with the behaviors mentioned above, I helped the trainers and dolphins with target training, retrievals, jumps, and painting (yes – the dolphins paint by holding the paintbrush in their mouths!). 

I really enjoy spending time outdoors in the sunshine with Harley and Moonshine!  They are very clever and each has their own way of doing things.  For these reasons, I have found that dolphin training involves a great deal of knowledge, creativity, and patience.  I am so glad to have this opportunity to work closely with these special dolphins, and I am learning an enormous amount about their behavior and care.  Thank you, Mary, Cris, Harley, and Moonshine!

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