Written by Mary Wilson-Carrigan, Zookeeper, North Carolina Zoo & Jason Balder, Zookeeper, North Carolina Zoo
When you visit the veterinarian with your pets, you may notice the first thing they do is ask them to step on a scale. Tracking animal weights is one of the primary health measures at the North Carolina Zoo as well. When you see an animal every day, it may be hard to notice slight drops in weights, so scale training our animals to keep accurate weights is crucial.
Scale used to measure Zebra's weight
When the Zoo was closed to the public for COVID-19 safety measures, the keepers used the extra one-on-one time to train our three Grant's zebras to be weighed. We wanted the zebras to feel comfortable enough with the scale to willingly walk across it and stand calmly long enough to record an accurate weight.
Zebra training scale
In order to weigh our zebras, we need a large, heavy-duty scale. The large metal scale was a strange sight for our zebra to see, so they were less comfortable and less likely to walk across it voluntarily. The keepers cut padded horse mats to fit across the top of the scale and scale hallway. The mats help to muffle their hooves' sound walking on steel and give them a softer surface. To further help the zebras feel comfortable with the space, keepers added some mulch and dirt, so they had a familiar substrate to step onto with the mats.
Scale training session with Keeper Kristy
After the scale was set up, keepers gave the zebra access to the area to check it out. Over time, the zebra became comfortable with the object and would walk across it willingly. At first, the zebras would cross the scale as a group. Keepers then worked to separate the animals and walk across the scale individually. They were guided by the friendly face of a keeper and a bucket of treats for positive reinforcement. Over time, the zebra became more and more comfortable and would pause on the scale with all four hooves to record an accurate weight stress-free!
Zebra scale training with Keeper Jason
If you are curious, our male zebra, Zuberi, weighs 313 kg (689 pounds), female Miracle is 266 kg (585 pounds), and female Zaire is 259 kg (570 pounds).
