Is this Job for me? On Being a DOLPHIN TRAINER!

Some people dream of working with marine life as a career choice but what exactly does it entail? Ocean Park, aside from being one of the world’s best family entertainment amusement parks also cares and looks after the welfare of a diverse range of marine life including dolphins!

In this exclusive interview, Ms. Harriet Chiu, Assistant Marine Mammal Curator from Ocean Park, discusses communicating with dolphins, everyday work and why dolphins are so intelligent!

Ocean Park - Harriet Chiu, Assistant Marine Mammal Curator, Ocean Park Hong Kong
iCUBED.us interviewer - Chris Lau

Ocean Park: Most of our trainers become dolphin trainers because of the love of animals and they enjoy working outdoors. They also realize that this is a very unique opportunity as not everyone will have a chance to see a dolphin, let alone become a dolphin trainer!

Our trainers receive on-the-job training and will work and learn at the same time. Ocean Park also provides various training courses for newcomers and will from time to time invite international consultants to come and teach our trainers new techniques and knowledge. Our trainers will also have a chance to travel to other countries in the world to attend international dolphin conferences to observe and learn new knowledge from their counterparts from other aquariums and research centers.

iCUBED.us: As a dolphin trainer, what is your daily routine? Is everyday the same as the next? Is it always as fun as it looks?

Ocean Park: Everyday is different at Ocean Park. Our daily routine can be grouped into 3 main categories:

• Husbandry - Cleaning of the dolphin habitat, feeding, preparation of food, conducting body checks (temperature, blood test, weight, etc) and of course, playing with the dolphins!

• Training - We train with our dolphins, whether for shows or for general husbandry practices.

• Performance - Our dolphins rotate in performing at our SeaDreams! Dolphin show at the Ocean Theater!

A large part of our trainers' time is spent playing with the dolphins, whether on land or in the water. We provide many enrichment elements such as toys to keep them entertained and stimulated. Some toys include balls, ice cubes, and other floating, sinking and hanging objects.

Being a dolphin trainer is a lot of fun, but it also comes with a lot of hard work. For example, our water is maintained at ~20 degrees Celsius at all times, which can be nice and cool in the summer but quite chilly in the winter! Also, we work 365 days a year, whether during sunshine or rain. That is why our trainers must love and enjoy their work very much to be able to persevere at this job.

iCUBED.us: What is your relationship with the dolphins like? Was it hard to develop? How do they respond to you? Like horse and dog ‘whisperers’; can you read and talk to the dolphins!

Ocean Park: Each trainer will have a slightly difference relationship with each dolphin depending on their personalities and personal traits. But in general, we treat our dolphins like friends and as an equal, just as you will treat your friend. If you put your heart to it, then the animal will feel your sincerity and will be more likely to be friendly with you. We can communicate with dolphins through a number of ways, such as body language, hand signals, speech and whistles.

iCUBED.us: Dolphins are often cited as extremely intelligent and friendly! How do they display this intelligence and friendly nature? How do they communicate with each other and humans?

Ocean Park: That is right! Dolphins are very intelligent and smart animals! For example, if they know you are a new trainer and less experienced, they might nag at you and pull a prank on you by ignoring your gestures at first! However, once you have spent some time with them and have gained their trust, they will become very friendly towards you.

Dolphins communicate with each other through body interactions and sound. For example, mother and child may often be seen "holding hands" or touching flipper-to-flipper. A child may also touch its mouth to the mother's body as a gesture of dependence and protection. Dolphins are also very playful animals and will often play and chase each other around for fun!

iCUBED.us: What special efforts do Ocean Park make to ensure that the dolphins feel at ‘home’ in their surroundings?

Ocean Park: We try to keep our dolphins entertained and stimulated through a variety of games and activities. For example, performance and shows are a good example of how we keep them entertained and learning new things. As mentioned before, we also provide a lot of toys for them, and will often play with them in the water ourselves!

We also make them feel at "home" by providing the best living environment for them. For example, the water temperature and minerals content are closely monitored by our Life Support System experts and maintained at an optimal level at all times. We will also rotate the dolphins between different pools and house them with different dolphins from time to time to ensure interaction with each other. Mothers and children will also be housed together to provide the best care and support for the newborn dolphins.

iCUBED.us: If a person wants to work with animals or marine life; what type of personal character traits should they have?

Ocean Park: If you are an outgoing person and have a love for animals, then you have the potential to become a dolphin trainer. You should also enjoy working outdoors and be a patient and caring person!

iCUBED.us: What plans does Ocean Park have in the future for its dolphins and in general?

Ocean Park: Ocean Park currently has a total of 16 dolphins. Ocean Park is also the world's first oceanarium to breed dolphins by artificial insemination. We may consider bringing more dolphins to the Park in the future for genetic diversity purposes. However, if we decide to do so, the acquisitions will always follow all international laws, treaties and conventions, and will be done after extensive research to ensure that the acquisition will not be harmful to the wild dolphin populations.

Thank you!

Ocean Park Conservation Foundation