TRAINER FOR A DAY (for kids
12 and up)

Value: $300 ($250 for child; $50 for adult chaperone)

This is for kids age 12 and up,
with accompanying adult. Teens spend a full day alongside Aviary trainers
preparing food, helping with feed outs, and assisting with training sessions.
Up-close experiences with the Aviary’s penguins, rainbow lorikeets and
flamingos (getting preened by a flaming – priceless!) are among the
highlights of the day. It’s a great experience for kids who love animals
and who may be considering a career in veterinary medicine, zoology, biology, or
wildlife management. This is a private experience – we only do one per
day, so the child and parent work one on one with trainers.

Details:

The program, which is open to children, teens and adults, ages 12 and
up, is hands-on, with up-close interaction with the birds throughout the day.
Participants must arrive in the morning, in time to help prepare fish for the
hungry African penguins who reside in Penguin Point. Guest trainers don rubber
boots before climbing into the exhibit where they hand-feed fish to the
penguins. If the birds are cooperative, guest trainers may even have the chance
to touch one or two of the penguins, depending on the birds’ mood that
morning.

From there, it’s back to the Aviary kitchen to prepare food and
enrichment for the rest of the Aviary’s flock. Each species of bird has
special dietary requirements, from fruit, seeds and nuts, to raw meat and fish
for the raptors. Full disclosure: this particular job is not for the squeamish,
but neither is the job of a zookeeper! 

A gentler experience follows with a trip to the Lories & Friends
exhibit, where more than a dozen colorful and inquisitive rainbow lorikeets are
waiting for their breakfast of fruit and nectar. Participants help to open the
exhibit for the day and assist visitors with feeding nectar to the birds. They
also are asked to keep a watchful eye on the raucous lorikeets, which have a
tendency to wander up onto the heads and shoulders of guests. Ear nibbling is
not an acceptable part of the Aviary experience, so trainers must be quick to
remove the birds before they get into mischief.

After the Lories & Friends exhibit closes, guest trainers join
Aviary staff for lunch and the opportunity to learn more about bird care and
careers in the zoo field.

Following lunch, trainers move on for a feeding in the Marsh Room, a
large free-flight exhibit inhabited by more than 100 birds, including
flamingos, pelicans, Inca terns, spoonbills and, unmistakably, the screaming piha,
notable for being the loudest bird on the planet. Esther, the black cormorant,
will likely tag along looking for a handout, while other inhabitants swoop and
dive at the food cart, looking to steal a treat. A highlight of working in this
room is the chance to get close to the American flamingos, which are not shy
and have been known to give trainers a bit of a preening. Standing in the midst
of these remarkable, graceful birds is an experience sure to be long
remembered.

The day concludes with the Aviary’s free-flight bird show and
late day training sessions. Participants assist with show set up, and learn
basic positive-reinforcement training techniques as used by Aviary staff when
working with the birds.

 For more information on the Trainer for a Day or to register, email education.programs@aviary.org
or call 412-323-7235 ext. 209. Fee for the program is $225 for Aviary members;
$250 for non-members. Additional $50 for chaperones accompanying guests age
12-16. A National Aviary t-shirt, box lunch(es) and a photo of the experience
are included in cost of registration. Trainer for a Day must be booked a
minimum of two weeks in advance.

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This would make a FANTASTIC Christmas present for that teenage in your life! Pass it along to friends with teenagers, too, even if they're new to PittsburghMom!

I'll run the contest from now through November 15 and draw a winner that day.

To enter, just reply with who you would like to win this for and why.

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