This Mara Has Mastered Learning Commands Just Like a Well-Trained Dog

Ver This Mara Has Mastered Learning Commands Just Like a Well-Trained Dog - Wild Times at the San Diego Zoo en Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00Meet Santiago. He's a Patagonian Mara. Although he looks like a cross between a

00:05rabbit and a deer, he's actually a rodent. He's related to other rodents,

00:10including the capybara and the guinea pig.

00:13So Santiago is pretty special. Because he was hand raised by people, he is very

00:18sociable. He will readily approach us and is very motivated by yummy treats and

00:23attention, which makes him a pro at training. Lucky for us, Santi will eat

00:28pretty much any fruit or vegetable. Well, except for broccoli. When he eats that,

00:33he spits it right out. Today we have some things you probably recognize, like sweet

00:39potatoes, peanuts, grapes, and cereal. So through his training, Santi gets to be one

00:45of the ambassador animals here at Binder Park Zoo, showing off his behaviors to

00:50our camps and classes and ensuring that the students that come here get to

00:54learn about what a great animal he is. And everything we do is Santi's choice.

00:58If he decides he doesn't want to participate in training one day, that's

01:01perfectly fine. We make training as fun and positive as we can and that

01:05encourages him to want to do it more. So not only do Santi's behaviors help to

01:11keep him mentally and physically active and to educate our guests here at the zoo,

01:14they also help us with his care. For example, when we need to bring him

01:19somewhere, like to the doctor, he can choose to go into the crate or help us put a

01:24harness on. If we need to give him a little checkup, we can ask him to sit,

01:28which will allow us to get a closer look.