Our team of keepers and veterinarians is taking part in advanced training in behavioural management and animal welfare across a range of species.

At Terra Natura Benidorm, we have carried out a series of specialised training sessions this week with our Asian elephants. The goal is to facilitate clinical handling during future veterinary treatments, doing so without causing stress or resorting to physical restraint. These innovative techniques, the first of their kind at a national level, form part of the park’s broader animal welfare and preventive medicine

strategy. The sessions were led by veterinary zootechnician Dr Ana Alejandra Arroyo, an expert in ethology and founder of the consultancy Yolcati.

Two key exercises were introduced during the training. Firstly, the voluntary presentation of a foot through a specially designed opening in the facility, enabling foot care and health checks to be carried out without the need for sedation. Secondly, posture correction using the hindquarters against protective bars, designed to allow for safe and accurate blood sampling. Both exercises are based on the use of visual cues, verbal commands, and positive reinforcement—typically pieces of fruit—always respecting the animal’s pace and comfort.

These cooperative training methods enable the elephants to actively participate in their own care, reducing the stress typically associated with clinical procedures and enhancing the effectiveness of veterinary interventions. This approach, which Terra Natura Benidorm has been cultivating for years, reflects a modern perspective on the care of wildlife—one grounded in respect, empathy, and scientific understanding.

Alongside this, our veterinary and zoo keeper teams are currently undergoing an advanced training programme in behavioural management and animal welfare, also delivered by Yolcati. This includes species-specific protocols for animals such as storks, gibbons, dholes, tamarins, rhinos, tigers, clouded leopards, and macaws. The aim is to improve their wellbeing and encourage voluntary cooperation in handling and medical routines.

At Terra Natura Benidorm, we are committed to continuous learning and the ongoing refinement of our care protocols as the cornerstones of our management model. For our technical team, “every calm gesture and voluntary act of cooperation from an-animal is a reflection of the joint, dedicated efforts of professionals who believe in a more conscious, ethical, and sustainable approach to care.”