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Tess the orangutan and Benjie the dog are just two of the talented animal actors at Universal Studios Orlando.
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Mike Muraco, a senior animal trainer at Universal Studios Orlando, introduces a couple of his animal actors: Tess is a young (4 to 5 years old) female orangutan. Orangutans become aggressive and dangerous as they get older; in fact, an orangutan can be seven times as strong as a human of comparable size. They are also extremely territorial animals. Tess will end up in a breeding program when she gets older. - Benjie is a mixed-breed dog rescued from the Humane Society. Universal Studios' trainers visit the local Humane Society on a regular basis looking for animals to train for the act. Benjie was bubbly, eager to be with humans, and energetic; she also seemed to be very intelligent. Muraco took her home and raised her in his house, and his efforst paid off: she is a popular, talented performer and a loving companion.
- Muraco says the key to training a dog is to spend as much time with her as possible and correct her when she misbehaves; it doesn't do any good to punish a dog for a misbehavior that occurred several hours ago. He also says it's never too late to train a dog -- there's no truth to the axiom that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. No dog is ever too old to learn!
RESOURCES :
How to Get Your Pet into Show Business
Model: 0876055595
Author: Arthur J. Haggerty
Hungry Minds, Inc
August 1994
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