Animal
Actors
Whatever happened
to that dog that was in the movie "Air Bud"? Well that lovable
dog had cancer, but don't worry, he's fine now. They had to
amputate his leg, so now he's a lovable 3-legged pooch. He can
still shoot hoops, but it isn't likely he'll be making any more
movies for quite sometime.
Did
you hear about the gorilla Coco? This gorilla learned to communicate
with sign language. Coco had found a cat that she loved. One
day, her cat was run over by a truck. Coco was so sad that she
stayed in her "room" for 2 weeks. I'm sure that everyone has
such sad days as those. This just proves how similar the primates
are to us!
Some
Animal Training Places
What's
important to animal trainers at Animal
Actors.com? Number 1 Priority Safety first. Their animals
have been in movies and commercials. They have ducks that know
camera left and camera right, and horses that aren't afraid
of loud noises, like explosions.
The
animals at T.I.G.E.R.S. are hand raised from the time they are
very young. Their trainer gives them thousands of hours of individual
training and constant care. Says their founder: "We have such
a strong relationship with the animals that recently we were
able to go in the den box with one of the female tigers and
assist while she gave birth to her cubs. One of the first things
the baby cubs saw when they opened their eyes were their human
friends."
"People often think it is dangerous to get so close to
wild animals like these, but the handlers here have been with
these animals since they were cubs and have developed a special
friendship based on love and respect. All of the trainers live
with the animals 24 hours a day."
T.I.G.E.R.S.
has a proven method of dealing with these animals; never treat
them as pets, lots of tender loving care, and thousands of hours
of one-on-one handling. This training helps the animals in many
ways. First and foremost, their lifestyle offers them physical
and mental high-spiritedness that, unfortunately, is not available
in a "traditional" zoo. This includes traveling around the world
as ambassadors for their kind, meeting new people, and experiencing
new situations. Many of the trainers actually sleep with the
animals in specially designed apartments! The handlers never
use whips or chairs to train the animals. (This isn't a circus!)
All training is done with rewards and affection.
The
relief from the same old kind of a cage and regular contact
with other species, including humans, allows the animals at
T.I.G.E.R.S. to lead happy and healthier lives. They have large
areas to live in and have all run free in the forest. Unlike
any other animals in a traditional zoo or circus environment,
some have even been back to their homelands. By learning to
walk on a leash the animals of T.I.G.E.R.S. get a changing environment.
They are always experiencing new sights, smells and textures.
For wild animals change is freedom. Change helps the animals
to be happier and healthier. They all work less than 16 weeks
a year and are given the very best in diet and health care.
This interaction helps the trainers and the visitors to their
shows get a better understanding of what these exotic animals
are really like.
Want
to Be an Animal Trainer?
The Apprentice Program is a 2 year minimum live-in program
at the T.I.G.E.R.S. ZOOLOGICAL PARK GROUNDS in Myrtle Beach
SC. and (studying) abroad. This is a full-time-365-days-a-year-task,
and it takes all of your time. No vacations, no free time off,
except on Christmas or New Years Eves and a few times a year
for the first year or two. There are always animals that need
your help, care, feeding and cleaning at all times of the day
and night. Animal training is more of a life style than a job.
Trained
(not tamed) animals need to be with students personally for
thousands of hours in order to bond to them. It takes years
of dedicated work to become a trainer.
In two
years students begin to understand the basics of training. It
will probably take 5 to 10 years to become a novice trainer
if you have what it takes and work very hard at it all the time.
T.I.G.E.R.S.
makes all of its money from animals. In return for this they
do not eat them, they at only vegetarian food on the park's
grounds. Students may eat what they want off park grounds. The
apprentice program is a lot like school. The pay begins at $100
per week, but the program gives students a place to live with
a pool and hot tub. The program pays all utilities; phone, electric,
gas, cable and laundry. They also provide a car for students,
and all food expenses when traveling.
Director of T.I.G.E.R.S.
Animal Training
Links
