Word: scarpuzzi
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Dates: during 2006-2006
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...There is no respite for Kasatka, however. She was back performing at SeaWorld on Thursday afternoon. The marine park does not believe in punishment and will not deprive her of food nor inflict anything corporal. Mike Scarpuzzi, vice president of zoological operations for SeaWorld California, says the facility's tradition has always been the use of positive reinforcement: "We focus on what we like them to do." Indeed, he says, when Peters was dragged down, the trainer sought to calm Kasatka rather than do anything that would agitate her further. He rubbed her comfortingly in order to extricate himself, even...
...ease with which trainers and whales appear to interact often leads people to believe orcas can be as tame as household pets. They remain wild animals and, says Scarpuzzi, each trainer has to make a decision for every show whether he or she can get into the water with a specific whale and whether the animal is ready psychologically and physically for a safe performance. Trainers depend on their long and close relationship with each animal to read their moods. Kasatka is likely to undergo a lengthy period of evaluation, with trainers working backward with records from weeks and months...
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