00:04Big, buoyant, gentle, and smart, meet the manatee, a slow-moving mammal that spends
00:12its life in the water.
00:21Here at River Safari in Singapore, there's a whole herd of manatees to discover.
00:26I already mentioned that manatees are gentle and smart, now you can see for yourself.
00:34Aquarists at River Safari do regular conditioning work with these manatees.
00:40Today, Joan is working with Canola, a three-year-old female.
00:49Hmm, looks like this manatee wants some keeper time, too.
00:53Wait your turn, little one.
00:58Joan asks Canola to touch the green target.
01:01She blows a whistle to let Canola know, good job.
01:05And as a reward, Canola receives a high-fiber biscuit, a favorite among all the manatees.
01:12Target training lets Joan get Canola into different positions that help in caring for her, such
01:18as turning belly up to check her skin or have an ultrasound done, or having Canola lie on
01:24her side and present her flipper to practice having blood drawn.
01:28This enrichment routine helps reduce stress during medical checks and creates a positive bond
01:34connection between manatees and keepers.
01:41Now that conditioning practice is over, it's time to munch a bunch of greens.
01:47Manatees are aquatic herbivores, so they spend lots of time each day eating leafy greens.
01:53The aquarists have quite an efficient way of feeding all these hungry herbivores.
01:57They put out a floating salad bar.
02:00This set-up lets the manatees feed the way they naturally do, sinking below the surface
02:05to pluck a mouthful of plants.
02:08Some manatees take their food to go, using their flippers to hold the food and their bristly
02:13whiskers to guide it to their mouth.
02:18These manatees are amazing, but where's Olivia?
02:23She's missing it all.
02:24There she is, and she looks like she's getting ready for some manatee time of her own.
02:32Manatees have excellent hearing, so when Joan and Olivia splash the water, it gets their
02:37attention.
02:38Here they come.
02:41They all seem to know, splashing water means high-fiber biscuits.
02:48Watch how they reach out with their whiskers to feel for the food.
02:53When the biscuits have all been eaten, these sensitive-skinned manatees hang around for
02:58some lovely pats and rubs.
03:02Seems like Olivia is totally Team Vanity.
03:07Thumbs up if you are, too!
