Adventure Quote by Karen Pryor
““The porpoises and whale themselves, in their quests for entertainment, often created problems. One summer a fashion developed in the training tanks (I think Keiki started it) for leaning out over the tank wall and seeing how far you could balance without falling out. Several animals might be teetering on the tank edge at one time, and sometimes one or another did fall out. Nothing much happened to them, except maybe a cut or a scrape from the gravel around the tanks; but of course we had to run and pick them up and put them back in. Not a serious problem, if the animal that fell out was small, but if it was a 400-pound adult bottlenose, you had to find four strong people to get him back, and when it happened over and over again, the people got cross. We feared too, that some animal would fall out at night or when no one was around and dry out, overheat, and die. We yelled at the porpoises, and rushed over and pushed them back in when we saw them teetering, but that just seemed to add to the enjoyment of what I'm sure the porpoises thoguht of as a hilariously funny game. Fortunately they eventually tired of it by themselves.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: Animal Training Insights, Karen Pryor, 1990s
Animals may turn training into a game, creating risky behaviors that require human intervention and can cause frustration.
In simple terms: Animals sometimes play dangerously during training, needing staff to rescue them.
Key Takeaway
Design training to prevent risky play.
Themes
animal behavior
training safety
human‑animal interaction
Mood
concerned
reflective
Type
practical
observational
When to use this quote
- marine mammal facilities
- zoo training
- aquarium exhibits
- staff safety
Key Concepts
behavioral enrichment
risk management
Questions to Reflect On
- How can enrichment balance fun and safety?
- What safeguards reduce rescue needs?
A Different Perspective
Animals may seek stimulation, leading to unintended hazards.
![“As he [Sir Malcolm Sargeant, conductor of the London Philharmonic] stood in waist deep in the shallows of Whaler's Cove, the littler spinners came drifting over, sleek and dainty, gazing at him curiously with their soft dark eyes. Malcolm was a tactful, graceful man in his movements, and so the…” quote by Karen Pryor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/eca/karen-pryor-39019_dark-eyes_as-he-sir-malcolm-sargeant-conductor-of_162419.jpg)
![“I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests with ZERO-G [a charter-flight service in Arlington, Va., that uses modified Boeing 727s to simulate weightlessness], which went great.” quote by Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aa1/richard-branson-256_adventure_i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-repl_903.jpg)
