Dolphin Behaviour and Dolphin-Assisted Therapy - Basic Course 2010

The course will last 10 days with two half days off.
The next course will be:  October 26 - November 4,  2010
 
The course will consist of lectures presented by the scientists of the Lab, by the training team as well as invited experts. There will be observations of dolphin behavior, of therapy sessions and of hands- on exercises and practicals.
The program will start in the morning (8.00 or 9.00) and will finish in the afternoon\evening (16.00 to 18.00). Additionally, we offer a fringe program at some of the evenings.

The course will be held in English with possible assistance in Hebrew, French.




Content of the course

The course is based on 3 modules.

Animal and dolphin behavior module:
•    Introduction to Marine Biology
•    Introduction to the Gulf of Aqaba
•    Dolphin Behavioral Research. Past and current research projects around the world
•    Methods in Ethology: Systematic Collection of Data, with Special Reference to Social  
     Behaviour
•    Ethogram Workshop: Observing animals
•    Guided project in Dolphin Behavior based on observation
•    Dolphin vocal communication
•    Cetacean Social Behaviour and Ecology, with Special Reference to Bottlenose Dolphins
•    Cetology: Evolution of whales and dolphins, adaptation to the marine environment
•    Behavioral development and mother influence in bottlenose dolphins
•    Dolphin Conservation

Dolphin training and husbandry module:
•    Veterinary considerations in maintaining dolphins in captivity
•    Animal Training and training dolphins in Dolphin Reef
•    The Open sea project
•    Evaluating the human experience in swim with dolphin programs; methodological
     approaches
•    Dolphin recognition and identification. Identification of the dolphins at Dolphin Reef
•    First Aid to Marine Mammals: How to Deal with Stranded Cetaceans
•    Releasing Dolphins into the Wild, with special emphasis on two case studies performed in 1996 and 2004

Dolphin Assisted Therapy module:
•    Animal Assisted therapy
•    Supportive experience with the aid of the dolphins
•    Preparations, executing and discussion of systematic observations of  therapy sessions
•    A swim with the dolphins
•    Impression of the swim
•    Autism and Therapeutical Methods with the Assistance of Dolphins
•    Discussion and analysis of specific case studies where dolphin assisted therapy was used
•    Scientific Seminar on Dolphin Therapy
•    Observation of therapy sessions

The exact program will be hand out by the beginning of the course. Variations and changes in the program are possible.

Aim of the course
Main goals of the course are: To give an introduction to the mentioned subjects and to demonstrate the work that is done here, both for the behavioral work and the therapy and to have researchers from all over the world in the Dolphin Reef. 

Who can participate?
It is open to all people from the age 18 and above, with no special qualifications concerning scientific experience. To ensure individualized instructions, the number of participants is limited. A certificate of attendance will be provided at the end of the course. Students, which take the course for academic credit, may be required to take a final examination.

General Information

The course will be held at the Dolphin Reef Facility in Eilat. The Dolphin Reef Eilat is situated in the southern part of Israel on the coast of the Red Sea. The Dolphin Reef is a very special tourist place with the possibility to swim and to dive with the dolphins. It offers also a unique chance to observe the impressive social life of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and the friendship between humans and dolphins. In the Dolphin Reef eight dolphins (six females and two males) live together the whole year in a spacious area from about 14.000 square meters separated from the open sea with a net.
These dolphins can live their social life like hunting, playing, mating and fighting and the humans are visitors in their world.

The bond between the trainers and the dolphins is built on trust and friendship.
This relationship makes a very special program possible called  ‘Supportive Experience with the Aid of Dolphins’ for children suffering from many different disorders and diseases: cancer, behavioral problems, sexual abuse, Down's Syndrome, autism, ADD. ADHD, and all kinds of physical and mental retardation initiated by Sophie Donio (Established 1991).
The program is called 'Supportive experience with the aid of the dolphins' instead of 'therapy with dolphins' because the aim is not trying to heal people but to give moral support and to make children smile. It is a long term program and children aged from six years and above can participate.  

And there is the research facility also situated in the Dolphin Reef. It is called ‘Dolphin Research Laboratory' and was founded in 1994, in special cooperation with the University of Berlin, Germany and was led by Dr. Frank Veit, University of Berlin, till 2006. Since 2007 the head of the research laboratory is Dr. Nadav Shashar, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Eilat Campus.
The scientific research facility examines various aspects of dolphin behaviour and communication and the work of the lab is strictly non-invasive, meaning that no experiments are carried out here that could possibly harm or harass the animals.

Internship Program   
A successful participation in the course will be on accreditation for participation in our internship program offered by the therapy and the research department.
If you want to participate in our internship program it is necessary to mention this when you register for the course. It is important to know either you are interested in the Dolphin Therapy or in the research work on Dolphin Behavior, and for how long you want to stay. You can make your own research, then it would be necessary to know which aim and subject your research will be or you want to intensify your experience and to get to know better the work with the dolphins in the Dolphin Reef. If needed we are open for questions and to help making the choice.

The course will be a basic one and will be interdisciplinary. Participants will have very different backgrounds like from interested layman to Ph.D. students
Our own background is biological or psychological one.

Swimming with the dolphins
As mentioned, the course is an educational one, but one swim with the dolphins is included to give a better insight in the different world of the dolphins. For those that want to do more swims, they can do so on the half days off for a reduced fee.

The Course Fee
The price for the course itself is Euro 975 including all lectures, course material, excursion to the Underwater Observatory, one swim with the dolphins, two meals during the days - (breakfast and lunch), and coffee and tea.

Students of educational institutions who accept this course for credit as part of the study requirements will receive a 100 Euro discount. An
acknowledgment letter from the institution will be required.
The course is accredited by the University of Caen, Normandy, France and University of Augsburg, Germany.

A deposit of 200 Euro has to be paid in advance for registration.

Accommodations
We can recommend some nice and available accommodations. Accommodations are not included in the course fee.

Headed by
The course will be headed by Ms. Sophie Donio - Head of the Therapy Department at the Dolphin Reef Facility, Dr. Nadav Shashar - Marine Biologist at Ben Gurion University and Head of the Dolphin Research Laboratory in Eilat
For registration form click here.
 further information,  or questions, please send an email to Sophie Donio:  experience@dolphinreef.co.il