More Research from AiG’s Zoos Published!

Stephen Belknap is one of our ungulate (hoofed mammal) keepers at the Ark. He presented a poster at the Zoological Association of America conference in Columbus, Ohio, last fall. In that post, he shared with zoological professionals from around the world about his team’s experiences training our aoudad sheep for voluntary injections. His training success was then published in volume 52, issue 2 of the Animal Keepers Forum journal in February.

Here’s a summary of the research that I was given:

Aoudad sheep Rachel, Sarah, and Zipporah arrived at the Ararat Ridge Zoo back in 2020 from a facility where they had very little human contact. Our fourth aoudad sheep, Noel, was born onsite four months later and had to be hand-raised, so she is accustomed to human interaction.

However, the other three sheep were initially extremely skittish around our zoo staff, so husbandry and health care were difficult to provide. Stephen and his team made it their mission to desensitize Rachel, Sarah, and Zipporah to human interaction and to train them to participate in their own health care.

Desensitization would make the aoudads more comfortable and relaxed in their habitats, and participation in their veterinary procedures would make things safer and easier for the animals and the people.

Over the last few years, the ungulate team, together with the animal health team, has made amazing progress in training the aoudads. These sheep, who originally would not allow anyone near them without bolting, are now participating in their own veterinary care. They pick up their feet and permit hoof care, accept injections, stand calmly in stations, go on and off the scale, allow keepers to touch them, stand up so vet staff can examine their undersides, and are comfortable approaching new people.

Stephen wanted to share strategies for this incredible progress with other zookeepers so they can also provide the best care possible for their animals. His conference poster presentation and his published article explain the training process he and his team used to train the aoudads to go from fearful to fearless.

Stephen and his team also benefit from this training when educating Ark Encounter visitors. All four aoudad sheep are now comfortable coming close to the fencing so Stephen and others can show their behaviors to guests up close while teaching biblical truth through keeper chats. As members of the goat/sheep kind who hybridize with other members of their kind, aoudad sheep are a great demonstration of the concept of created kinds.

Additionally, they are classified as vulnerable in their native habitats in northwestern Africa, but are invasive in the United States, so this species serves as an excellent example of why godly stewardship of creation is so important.

Congratulations to Stephen for his training successes, for sharing his knowledge with the secular zoo community, and for being published in Animal Keepers Forum. Yes, it’s exciting to see creationists being published and making a difference in a variety of different fields, including zoology and animal care!

Be sure to come and meet our aoudad sheep at the Ararat Ridge Zoo, included with your Ark Encounter admission. Our zoos continue to expand and are very popular with guests of all ages.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.