Maisie
Well-Known Member
I don't know who had the first show, or whether anyone copied from someone else, but yes, it would have been nice for particularly the parrot shows to have been a bit more different and to perhaps demonstrate bird intelligence a little more. You have to wonder whether the parrots are really watching the bowls hiding the treats (The macaw at La Fleche certainly didn't seem to be paying attention) or whether they're picking up cues from the trainers. At Palmyre the treat always went to the middle to start with, but then the trainer asked the audience to pick a side. It would be pretty easy to teach the parrot to hear "What's that? You say you want it to go to the RIGHT" and choose the correct side.
The same goes for the shape sorter. If you can do that one once, you can do it every time. I'd rather see something like an African Grey that can say number words answer questions from the audience like "How many green triangles?" a la Dr Pepperberg.
Palmyre did do basic multiplication with a cockatoo - the audience picked 3 x 4 and the cockatoo was asked to ring a bell to answer "What's 3 x 4?". This is at least a bit more tricky than "Three times".
I didn't mind the sealion shows as much. It amazes me how close a rapport the keepers have with the animals, how utterly attentive they are, and how they can remember such complex and lengthy routines without slipping up. They must practice for hours! As I said in the review, I was very happy to see La Fleche pointing out how useful training animals to present areas of their body for examination can be for health checks and medication, and that the routines are simply building on the natural curiosity and playfulness of the animals. It goes a long way to offsetting the "How can people still exploit these poor, innocent animals for our entertainment in this day and age?" types.
The same goes for the shape sorter. If you can do that one once, you can do it every time. I'd rather see something like an African Grey that can say number words answer questions from the audience like "How many green triangles?" a la Dr Pepperberg.
Palmyre did do basic multiplication with a cockatoo - the audience picked 3 x 4 and the cockatoo was asked to ring a bell to answer "What's 3 x 4?". This is at least a bit more tricky than "Three times".
I didn't mind the sealion shows as much. It amazes me how close a rapport the keepers have with the animals, how utterly attentive they are, and how they can remember such complex and lengthy routines without slipping up. They must practice for hours! As I said in the review, I was very happy to see La Fleche pointing out how useful training animals to present areas of their body for examination can be for health checks and medication, and that the routines are simply building on the natural curiosity and playfulness of the animals. It goes a long way to offsetting the "How can people still exploit these poor, innocent animals for our entertainment in this day and age?" types.
