Effect of Condition of Birth on the Training and Control of California Sea Lions. Comparison of Animals Born in Captivity and in the Wild

摘要

Six California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) - three born in captivity and three in the wild - were compared during training for an underwater recovery task. The objective of this study was to determine the effect, if any, condition of birth had on health, growth, trainability, control, and behavior maintenance. The results indicated that there was no difference between the two groups in growth or health. On the other hand, the group born in captivity required 64% more training time, were less reliable to work, and were more difficult to handle. There were control problems with all the animals in the study. The three sea lions born in the wild were better subjects for training and were more reliable to work than the three sea lions born in captivity. (author)