Modern animal husbandry
Modern animal husbandry in the aquarium means to add variety to the everyday life of the animals. In the open sea, animals must face new challenges to access their food. Therefore, the zookeepers in aquarium farms are always required to give the animals new tasks and occupations.
Feeding procedure
Since July 2018, the Aquarium Wilhelmshaven uses a YUNEEC H520 as part of seal feeding. The drone brings the three seals Paul, Piet, and Ole fresh fish from above, utilizing two additional hooks attached to its landing gear. Animal keeper and drone pilot Daniel Meyer starts the H520 outside the seal terrain and lets the drone rise to about 12 meters before flying over the open-top seal pool. After a descent to about 9 meters, the drone raises its landing gear. Raising the landing gear causes the fish to slide off of the hook and drop down into the pool below, where the seals are eagerly awaiting their treats.
Playful handling of new situations
Feeding the seals from above provides the animals with new challenges. The seals learn to playfully deal with new and unfamiliar situations in the daily training sessions. This is an important aspect when it comes to interacting with animals, for example, in a veterinary examination.
