The Advantages Of Training Antelope To Cooperate With Veterinary Procedures

Treats

Highly palatable foods which were not part of the animal's regular diet were used as treats to entice the animals to enter the crate. It is important to use very palatable foods which are highly rewarding. For nyala, chopped yams and carrots were used and for bongo, spinach was used. For the bongo, treats could be dropped into the crate by remote control with a treat dispenser. The dispenser was a simple box constructed from thin plywood which had four flipdown shelves which could be filled with spinach. The dispenser was mounted on the top of the crate.

Pulling a pin with a string from outside the stall released a shelf. It worked like the flip-down shelves inside a candy vending machine. The dispenser enabled the trainer to prevent the dominant animals from getting all the treats, the trainer could drop treats to a designated animal.