Keepers work through a training session at the outdoor pools while they feed — hand signals, a whistle, and a bucket of fish. What looks like a performance is really husbandry: the same behaviors that get a sea lion to roll over or hold still on the deck are what let a vet check teeth, draw blood, or look at a flipper without stressing the animal.
Sessions run about twenty minutes and include a running explanation of what each cue means and why it's taught. The splash zone is marked, and it is accurate.
