Recent headlines about major zoological institutions not retaining their accreditation status have raised troubling questions about the inspection process, the role of trade associations, and the relevance of peer-reviewed seals of approval. As a zoo professional with more than 40 years of experience, Brad Andrews has not only overseen the largest zoological collection in the world, he has served in leadership roles among several North American and European trade and third party animal welfare organizations. That Sounds Wild: dromedary camels. Animal Care Software KONG Zoo Zoo Logic ZOOmility    

Zoo Logic

To Be Accredited or Not To Be?

An all-star panel of researchers, Heather Hill, Jason Bruck and Isabella Clegg discuss and debate a recent published essay in the Journal of Applied Animal Ethics Research by Dr. Clegg in which she explores what the future may hold for the public display of cetaceans. Dr. Clegg asserts that "...any industry that uses animals must largely align their ethical position with that of the general public: ‘the mainstream social ethic’."  In response, Drs. Hill and Bruck ask what if the public's prevailing opinions of animals like dolphins in human care are based on faulty science or are flat out wrong? Should zoological facilities align their animal management, business models, and conservation programs with a false or unsubstantiated public narrative just because it may be held by the majority? Animal Care Software KONG Zoo Zoo Logic Podcast ZOOmility

The Welfare and Ethics of Public Display of Dolphins

Dr. Alex Dehgan is the cofounder and CEO of Conservation X Labs as well as author of the book, The Snow Leopard Project and other adventures in war zone conservation. His policy and field work have taken him to 80 countries over his distinguished career, which includes time in the Obama administration and the Wildlife Conservation Society. Perhaps no country in his portfolio means as much to this conservation biologist and innovator as Afghanistan. Despite the false narrative from decades of war coverage of the country being a harsh barren desert, Dr. Dehgan describes the countryside's long human history matched only by the nation's rich biodiversity and ecological importance to European, Asian and African species, including migratory species.   Animal Care Software  KONG Zoo Zoo Logic ZOOmility

"Spectacular" Afghanistan

A recent science publication describes the social bonding that seems to occur among male chimpanzees towards the alpha male that has the effect of enabling less dominant males access to females. The data is based upon nearly 40 years of longitudinal observations of our closest relatives made at Gombe National Park in Tanzania. Primatologist Dr. Samantha Russak from Tanganika Wildlife Park discusses the implications of the study for understanding early humans as well as the conservation importance of preserving primate species. That Sounds Wild: Fisher's Turaco.  Animalcare Software KONG Zoo Zoo Logic ZOOmility

Ape Dates

At age three, future animal care professional, Mike Dech, discovered a love of sharks. So much so that by age twelve, he earned his SCUBA certification, which has served him well in his zoological career, as a hobby, and as a growing side business teaching new generations of divers and leading offshore excursions. Mike shares his insights after a lifetime of exploring his home state of Florida's reefs and offers advice to those looking to grow personally and professionally by pursuing their passion. Erin Ivory from Veterinarians International stops by to announce their walkathon and how listeners can participate. That Sounds Wild: Argus Pheasant.  Dallas World Aquarium. Animal Care Software KONG Zoo Zoo Logic ZOOmility

Be a Better Cog

Bill Street, Sr VP at Indianapolis Zoo describes attending the recently concluded International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress held in Marseilles, France.  The IUCN is organized by taxa to address global preservation issues affecting the survival of animal, plant and fungi species. It publishes the well known Red List database which lists species according to their current population status such as endangered,  threatened or least concern. The work to assess thousands of wild species is largely conducted by volunteers, so the Indianapolis Zoo has formed and funded the Global Center for Species Survival to help support IUCN committees. This center includes several paid positions for conservation coordinators whose purpose is to assist IUCN committees. That Sounds Wild: Rhinoceros Hornbill and Pesquet's Parrot.  Dallas World Aquarium Animal Care Software KONG Zoo Zoo Logic ZOOmility  

IUCN World Conservation Congress

Chicago Zoological Society's Dr. Lance Miller is one of the principle investigators of a recently published comprehensive Dolphin Welfare Study. Using new technology and software to track study animals, researchers examined physiological and behavioral metrics for dozens of cetaceans from more than 40 AMMPA and AZA accredited facilities across 4 continents to better understand the factors that contribute to improved animal welfare. Such factors include habitat size, access to environmental enrichment, training, age, guest interactions, and more.   That Sounds Wild: Hippos Animal Care Software KONG Zoo Zoo Logic ZOOmility

Dolphin Welfare Study

In search of some happier news to amplify, we turned to San Antonio Zoo director, Tim Morrow and American Humane President and CEO, Dr. Robin Ganzert. Tim describes how his local  community responded to support the zoo during the financial hardships posed by COVID-19, so much so, that recently, staff members were reimbursed for lost wages from a year ago. Robin shares her great news about the passage of the Paws Act, a new federal law that funds the Veterans Administration's pilot project to support the training of more therapy dogs for service men and women.  That Sounds Wild: Safari Ants Animal Care Software KONG Zoo Zoo Logic ZOOmility

Good Zoo News

Denver Zoo behavioral manager, Heather Genter describes her lifelong passion for animal training. Starting out with her own dog training business, she graduated to working with exotic species at a time when zoos didn't have behavioral managers and it seemed only sea lions and elephants were being trained. Following the operant conditioning and positive reinforcement principles she learned training dogs and by observing the sea lion keepers, she began working with spider monkeys to teach them how to safely and calmly participate in annual exams despite the initial protests by her manager. With zoos and aquariums widely using behavioral techniques across an array of species today, she thinks zoological professionals have only just begun to realize the benefits for animal health, welfare, research and the guest experience.  That Sounds Wild: Bald Eagle Animal Care Software KONG Zoo Zoo Logic ZOOmility

Everything We Do Is Training

Within days of opening the new Mississippi Aquarium in 2020, hurricane zeta made a nearly direct hit on the Gulfport attraction.  While the harrowing experience left some damage to the campus shade structures, a larger lesson had been learned. The staff, exhibits, and disaster planning had withstood the test of a category 3 storm in a region once completely devastated by Katrina. As a result of the confidence stemming from weathering the storm, the newly formed aquarium team went on to handle more challenges in the facility's freshman year. We are on location with curators Andy Horn and Matt Fripp as they describe that first year and the process of building a culture of excellence. Animal Care Software KONG Zoo Zoo Logic

Building a Culture of Excellence

Dr. Alexa Delaune, Vice President of Veterinary Services at the Mississippi Aquarium in Gulfport discusses her career, the challenges of launching a brand new zoological facility, and a very special patient named Stella. When the sand tiger shark developed a bulging spine affecting her health and well-being, Dr. Delaune reached out to colleagues in animal and human medicine for treatment and surgical solutions. Within 48 hours, a team of professionals assembled to conduct the first of its kind stabilization of a shark spine in attempt to preserve Stella's quality of life. Animal Care Software KONG Zoo Zoo Logic ZOOmility

The Legacy of Stella the Sand Tiger Shark

Animal trainer Stephanie Mantilla has a new book How to Clicker Train Your Cat, which draws upon her many years working with exotic animals including cheetahs, hoofed animals, primates, and even elephant shrews! While COVID and raising a toddler may have put her client work on hold temporarily, Stephanie continues to encourage cat owners to refrain from labeling their pets as stubborn in favor of recognizing and appreciating the behavioral and natural history differences between cats and dogs. While dogs tend to be more social, most cat species are solitary which has a dramatic impact on their behavior and interest in play and learning. That Sounds Wild: Cheetah purr Animal Care Software  KONG Zoo Zoo Logic ZOOmility

Clicker Training Your Cat

Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo director, Jonathan Miot describes the 50-year-old program designed to train the next generation of zookeeping professionals. While college level zookeeping programs have grown in number over the past few decades, few academic institutions can lay claim to operating their own accredited zoo. What qualities and skill sets produce a successful zookeeper?  How can professional degree programs contribute to a more diverse workforce across the zoo and aquarium industry?  Why should unpaid internships be a thing of the past? And, as the longstanding chasm between keepers and zoo administrators seems to be widening, what advice does professor Miot have for his fellow zoo directors to reduce attrition and the loss of senior keeper level expertise and leadership. That Sounds Wild: Lion Animal Care Software KONG Zoo Zoo Logic ZOOmility

Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo

Back by listener request, long time behaviorists and marine mammal experts, Ted Turner and Chuck Tompkins return to discuss the finer points of reinforcement schedules, tips for those hoping to change the training culture at their facility, and the politics and prospects for the recently stranded orca calf in New Zealand. LRS Episode That Sounds Wild: tiger play. Conservation Ambassadors Animal Care Software KONG Zoo Zoo Logic ZOOmility

Chuck & Ted's Excellent Training Adventure part 4

Despite being an ancient species, we still have much to learn about sea turtles, in part, because they spend most of their long lives at sea. We usually only hear about them or get a glimpse when the females come onshore a few weeks each spring and early summer to lay eggs or when groups of turtles are trapped in northern waters at the onset of winter in a cold stunning event. Dr. Joe Pfaller, research director for the Caretta Research Project discusses his field research with loggerheads at the Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, the sea turtle conservation role of volunteers and students, and ongoing threats to sea turtle survival. That Sounds Wild: Clouded Leopard. Animal Care Software KONG Zoo Zoo Logic ZOOmility

Sea Turtles

Zoo Logic with animal trainer, zoo advocate, and ZOOmility author, Dr. Grey Stafford, is a weekly conversation with zoo, aquarium, and animal experts about Nature, wildlife, pets, animal training with positive reinforcement, health and welfare, research, conservation, and education, sustainability, zoo politics, activism and legislation, and all things animals! On Zoo Logic, we’ll go behind the scenes with animal professionals and influencers from around the world to explore the latest Zoos News and issues affecting wildlife, wild places, and people. Communicating with humor, cool stories, and candor, we’ll discover the interdependent connection between civilization, conservation, and commerce.

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Zoo Logic

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