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| | | Location: Home » Dolphins » General AAS » Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched: Life and Lessons at the World's Premier School for Exotic Animal Trainers | |
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| Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched: Life and Lessons at the World's Premier School for Exotic Animal Trainers | 
| Author: Amy Sutherland
Publisher: Viking Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $2.73
You Save: $23.22 (89%)
New (28) Collectible (2) from $2.73
Avg. Customer Rating:  28 reviews
Sales Rank: 416805
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.2
ISBN: 0670037680
Dewey Decimal Number: 636.0888023
EAN: 9780670037681
ASIN: 0670037680
Publication Date: June 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: A nice, clean copy. Gift quality.
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Product Description
An invitation into the magical, grueling, and virtually unknown world of exotic animal training
Behind the imposing gate of the Exotic Animal Training Program at Californias Moorpark College lies a kingdom full of small mysteries, deep passions, and a camel that shoots hoops. Each year a select group of students descends on this teaching zoo to learn an improbable talent: how to communicate with animals. The only school of its kind, Moorpark pushes the limits of all the enrolled as they master hundreds of Latin species names and zoonotic diseases, all while hosing down cages at dawn and noting that Zulu the mandrill takes his morning juice in a paper cup never plastic. The alumni of this elite program hold the most coveted positions at the worlds finest zoos, aquariums, and sanctuaries. They are also the trainers who work in television and film, bringing Moorparks enlightened methods to the business of animals for hire. Author Amy Sutherland returns with the same impassioned voice that made her debut, Cookoff, such a delight. Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched is a fascinating look at a little-known profession for animal lovers everywhere.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 23 more reviews...
 Knowing Animals September 3, 2008
I have always been amazed when I go to the Zoo or to a Circus to see trainers and their wild animals! I always wished I had been an animal trainer and would experience the thrill of an animal responding to my orders. Sutherland 's story of the training of trainers taught me the extreme measures that students go through to learn the necessary steps they must take to get the simplest of responses.
These necessary steps are told with humor and color so I felt I was there at the school and in some cases glad I wasn't.
Sutherland has a rich vocabulary that descibes the people and animals in a way I won't forget them. I felt sad at the end when I realized my day did not include reading Kicked, Bitten and Scratched so I'm rereading it again this year.
Don't quit your day job............ July 29, 2008
Unless you want to cut your pay in half! I liked this book because so many of us dream of working at the zoo, and the reality of it is not quite what you might think. In the seventies people just happened upon the profession of dolphin trainer, now it is highly competitive and not very rewarding (monetarily). If you are an "animal person" this book is probably for you. I just think it is a good chunk of information for us animal lovers. Thank you Amy Sutherland for sharing your experiences.
Off the beaten path July 3, 2008
Who knew an ordinary woman could be so dedicated to understanding wild animals she would dedicate years to to sustaining them in a desert and risk everything to save them from a firey death?
No, this is not a cute book but if you are a serious animal lover or you ever imagined you might run away to join the circus ti put your head in the lion's mouth, this book will keep you good company.
Excellent Behind the Scenes Look December 4, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Having always been interested in working with animals, I just had to pick up this book. The author takes you through one full year at the two year animal training school. You follow several first years and second years through their trials and triumphs and even get a peek at the Have Trunk Elephant ranch in CA (when one student goes on a short internship there). I would recommend this book to any adult who is interested in a career with animals. There is plenty of crazy and interesting animal behavior described to keep you interested (the EATM zoo keeps a wide variety of wild animals) and the students were very gracious in sharing their stories with the author. My only complaint is that there are sometimes too many details on the private lives of the students (several of which don't live very conservative or moral lifestyles). Because of that I wouldn't recommend this book for children but instead for older teen or adult readers.
 Good, interesting behind-the-scenes September 11, 2007
This book was interesting. I picked it up because I got to know a group of Navy dolphin trainers, and I wanted to learn more about training.
I found the first-person narration style tedious. And I kept losing track of who was training which animals... a list at the back of the book, by trainer name, matched up to trainee, and with other pertinent info would have really helped. The next time I read it, I'll write one in the back of the book as I go along.
Best part about this book was that it pointed me to Karen Pryor's "Don't Shoot the Dog" -- a 5-star read if there ever was one.
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