SLEWTHS, together with its parent company Animal Training and Research, International, functions as a "teaching aquarium" covering all aspects of the marine mammal industry: public display, research, entertainment, public interaction, elaborate veterinary care, and education at all levels. SLEWTHS, as the non-profit arm of ATR Intl., has four main program directions:
Research, Classes, Internships and K-12 Programs.
The SLEWTHS project was founded on the idea of a cooperative relationship between sea lions and people. This forms the important foundation and common denominator for all the research performed by the project. Trained sea lions have performed cooperative research in the open ocean and laboratory pools on everything from sea lion physiology to gray whale behavior.
Education is also a major focus of the SLEWTHS project. This education takes many forms including formal classes where students can learn about animal training or marine mammals. We offer internships for people who want to spend a day to several weeks working at our facility with the animals and staff in a hands-on experience. Finally we offer a more long-term volunteer job-training program where people interested in developing a career working with animals can learn technical skills to help compete to get a job in the industry. These programs provide an important educational opportunity for students of all interest levels to learn through experiences with marine mammals.
For young marine mammal enthusiasts, SLEWTHS also offers opportunities to get involved. Sea Lion Stewards is a fun and educational field trip for K-12 classes and community groups to focus on environmental protection. Participants are given a motivational sea lion presentation on recycling and keeping the beaches clean and actually participate in a local beach clean-up. Budding young marine mammalogists can come participate in a Jr. internship at the facility for a more personal, hands-on experience. Another form of education the SLEWTHS project participates in is reaching a broader audience with our message of science education and conservation.
We are excited to announce the release of Animal Training 101: the Complete and Practical Guide to the Art and Science of Behavior Modification by Dr. Jenifer Zeligs. Animal Training 101 is the most complete training reference available, compiled after years of research. It is a must-have for anyone interested in animal training in either domestic or professional settings. The retail price is $44.95 (+tax), available for order at animaltraining.us. - Enjoy!