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Animal
Encounters.net
Doug
Terranova
President/Head Trainer
| Watching
Doug work with animals it is apparent that his concern for their
well-being is second to none. He has had a lifelong love for all animals
that was fostered by his parents through the pets he kept at home, (mice,
rabbits, cats, and dogs), his grandfather who took him on long hikes in
the woods to "hunt" for deer with his camera, his small town zoo
in Muscatine, Iowa where he volunteered throughout Junior High and worked
throughout High School, and finally through many famous circus animal
trainers who taught him that the animals must always come first. Doug
learned about interacting with animals and people through life
experiences, working at the Weed Park Zoo, traveling internationally with
various circuses, and training television stars to work with animals on
CBS's CIRCUS OF THE STARS. His educational Tiger and Elephant
programs have received rave reviews wherever they have been presented. At
the age of 40, Doug has spent over 28 years working with animals.
Throughout his career he has challenged himself to try to understand and
communicate with many different species. He feels one of the greatest
satisfactions in this business is when he can envision a behavior, put it
on paper, plan it out step by step, communicate it to the animal, and have
the final result mirror the original plan. One of his lessons to children
is that these animals are here in captivity and , to relieve boredom, we
try to stimulate their minds and bodies through training which also lets
them contribute to their upkeep by displaying their talents to the general
public via film, print, or live performance. It is his belief that
all ANY animal trainer does is to bring out a NATURAL behavior of an
animal on command. Doug's favorite times are spent with his family and
animals working and playing
together. Following the teachings of so many others he believes that
teaching children to care for animals brings about a responsible, caring
adult. |
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