Jim, I am hurt right now and my emotions are close to the surface, but I have to say this. I have always greatly admired your skills and expertize with pinnipeds. But for you to con me when I am trying to educate myself about your field, with "great" training examples of seals pushing through the spectators and one flipper to hand stands is reprehensible. I suggest you and your fellow pinnided trainers wake up and smell the toast and move into the 21 century before you all of a sudden find yourselves becoming "soft targets." My years at Marineland around Bill Roberts and staff are also tainted forever. Thank you very much, all you Capt. Salty's who have had a joke at my expense.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
For Jim Alexander
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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12 comments:
Friend Wade,
Your photo simply illustrates one of the several "successive approximations" used in pinniped training. We often begin with a very basic behavior and as the animal masters the behavior we increase the difficulty in small steps. It is possible that the trainer is attempting accomplish the Roby Gasser handstand on the sea lion's nose. They are beginning with a Barbie doll and will work they way up.
Marine mammal trainers don't work with whips or ankus -- we work with dictionaries.
Jim,
LOL, LOL, So you weren't goofing on me about "muscle tricks," and this actually is one. Referring to my land mammal trainers dictionary of things they would do naturally in the wild, we have to assume this is not a stepping stone to a handstand on the nose, but actually the seldom seen "Eskimo with harpoon looking in the ice hole, and not watching his back at what is coming out of the ice hole behind." Similar to the antiquated "over the garden wall", starting with a low jump, building up to a taller one(successive approximations or 2X4 to bathroom door the men ripped off in a fight.) It makes sense now, thanks Jim.
One more thing, for my continuing education, as we have a lot of "learned" speculation in my deal that animals react different to women then to men. If you start with a Barbie doll, will a man be able to perform the world class behavior on completion, or would you be better to start with a Ken doll if a man was the final objective?
I have to note, not all of us work with whips and ankus, some of us work with WHITE TOPS supplemented with a close liaison with the Publicist.
Wade
don't know what all that babble was, but you're about as likely to see an eskimo as a sea lion is
Anonymous,
Speaking of babble, what did you just say. Where won't you see Eskimos or Sea lion?
Wade
P.S Jim, do you have that dictionary handy.
A. Barbie or Ken; probably no difference as long as you dip them both in Pine-Sol before you use them.
B. It appears that we have kabooboolized anonymi. (I'm guessing more than one visitor is scratching their head.)
Jim,
I think you are jumping to conclusions. I suggest it is "who" is reading it. If it is the "pro" animals in the circus folks reading it, they are giving us a standing ovation as we sign atigraffs, although not having a clue what was said, it sure sounded good.
If it is the "anti" animals in the circus folks reading it, they are throwing rocks and attempting to make a citizens arrest, although not having a clue what was said, it sure sounded like shit.
What side of the fence to you speculate Anonymous is on?
Wade
Anonymous made be new to the blog and missed the Steller sea lion photos and video. They see Eskimos all the time.
Jim,
Or Anonymous may be like me. Maybe they believed everything you said about muscle tricks, until they saw the "Barbie feet to nose stand 0 Death" and realized they had been deceived. Now they don't know what to believe. I'm not so sure that was even an Eskimo I saw.
Wade
Wade, that is not even Barbie, since she doesn't have store-boughts.
Mary Ann
Mary Ann,
Don't you start. Jim already destroyed my illusion.
I thought the reason for the "Barbie phenomena" was that she was all pure, non pasteurized, non carbonated, 100% unadulterated, with no artificial sweetener, organic, All-American Red,White and Blue all natural as natural can be women. What are you talking about store boughts?????
Wade
I like her. She's funny.
Lol, thanks for the laugh Mary Ann. Happy Holidays
Ryan, I like you too. Happy holidays.
Mary Ann
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