Dr. Jonny Hanson's recent book, Living with Lynx: Sharing Landscapes with Big Cats, Wolves, and Bears, examines the contentious topic of reintroducing large carnivores to the islands of Britain and Ireland. Dr. Hanson's work explores conservation of apex predators and our relationship with these animals through the lens of social science, psychology, and history. In addition, he draws upon his experiences working with snow leopard conservationists in Nepal and around the globe. His new documentary, Snow Leopard Trail, is available at film festivals now.

Animal Care Software

Key figures behind the Whale Sanctuary Project and other Canadian anti-zoo groups held an online meeting with about 500 attendees including our guest, Dr. Jason Bruck, to discuss the situation concerning 30 beluga whales living in limbo at the troubled Marineland of Canada facility. We discuss the group's plans to build in Nova Scotia and the gaps in their science, funding, and other arguments.

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Tom Otten and Glenn Young have been working in key leadership roles with marine mammals such as orcas and terrestrial animals like elephants for decades. They share their insights into where zoos and aquariums have been and where they  might want to go while we still have time to preserve what's left of Nature.

Animal Care Software

Recently, Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park welcomed the birth of a female white rhino. This was no ordinary or overnight conservation success story according to its president, Kristy Hayden. The process began nearly 10-years ago with a significant financial commitment of hundreds of thousands of dollars by the forty-year-old, for-profit organization to acquire and import 3 unrelated females from South Africa. After the animals were identified and their protection and care secured while awaiting permitting and transport, the project was met with extended delays by USFWS. These necessitated finding 3 younger animals suitable in size for transport, the need to build a new expansive rhino habitat and barn, and eventually, once they arrived, time to reach reproductive maturity. The goal by the late owner and director, Mickey Ollson, was to help improve the genetics of the North American population as part of ensuring survival of the species, even as poaching and habitat loss issues are hopefully resolved throughout the African continent in the future. 

Animal Care Software

A recent peer-reviewed paper discussed the concept and procedure known as errorless learning and compares its efficacy training dogs to that of the more typical trial-and-error approach to learning. One of the authors of the paper: Comparing Trial-and-Error to Errorless Learning Procedures in Training Pet Dogs a Visual Discrimination, Dr. Eduardo "Eddie" Fernandez discusses the process and its favorable impact on the subjects' frustration, behavior acquisition rate, and failure compared to trial and error learning.  The goal is to uncover ways to minimize any harmful effects on animal welfare during the learning process.

Animal Care Software

Several years ago, a few zoo professionals recognized the growing need for better access to mental health resources for their peers.  Together they formed Growing Resiliency for Aquarium and Zoo Employees or GRAZE for the purpose of "bringing mental health support to those in the zoo and aquarium industry by raising awareness, sharing ideas, resources, and tools." The GRAZE team of Erin McNally, LVT; Shannon McKinney & Hannah Fullmer discuss the nature of grief and how their company helps zoo professionals at all levels by providing Proactive Programing, Support Services, and Critical Incident Response. According to the GRAZE team, the key to coping with grief that comes with loss is a willingness to make oneself vulnerable--an animal caretaker trait that has historically been discouraged.

Animal Care Software

Lisa Niver was a successful teacher, traveler, and dive master turned award-winning travel writer, but privately things were not as they seemed. At the lowest point in her life and staring at starting over, she found the strength to free herself from an abusive marriage and set upon a path towards personal growth and healing. One strategy was to complete 50 challenges before her 50th birthday as described in her new book, Brave-ish: one breakup, six continents and feeling fearless after fifty.  She shares her experiences in eco-tourism, as well as, other adventures around the world and the importance of facing one's fears.

Animal Care Software

Long time zoo expert and media personality, Jarod Miller and his business partner Bob Manley have launched phase one of their pet services concept Hounds and Hops in his hometown of Buffalo, NY. In a city known for deep snowfalls and cold winters, their master plan includes the development of a covered outdoor dog-friendly green space, as well as, a spacious indoor dog park.  As part of the downtown area's revitalization, which includes redevelopment, jobs, and housing, Hounds and Hops will tap into the popularity of craft beers and wines to create a unique human and animal friendly space.

Animal Care Software

The oldest animal welfare organization in America, American Humane, has launched a new third party certification program consistent with its longstanding programs covering zoos, farming, and even the film and television industry. Announced a month ago, "Humane Tourism" is designed to certify "wildlife reserves, lodges, and tour operators for their humane responsibility toward the animal life that the operations may encounter and have the potential to impact."  As wildlife viewing vacations become increasingly popular, one goal of this new program is to provide well-meaning consumers the information needed to make conscientious choices about where to spend their wildlife tourism dollars. New SR VP & COO, Dr. Kashyap Choksi and Jill Nizan, Director, Conservation Operations discuss how the program was created and the potential global impact on ensuring wild animal welfare.

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Co-founder of Mission K9 Rescue, Bob Bryant returns to discuss the organization's recent success and ongoing mission to return military and contract working dogs from their deployments around the world as the animal's tour of duty ends due to illness, age, or loss of work drive. In many instances MWD are reunited with their longtime human handlers but without any financial support from the US military. The situation with CWD isn't as simple as these animals typically have no dedicated handler, which is why rehabilitation and adoption funding by groups like MK9R is critical for this group of service dogs. With the recent drawn down in Afghanistan, MK9R worked with the Taliban through a third party rescue on the ground to evacuate several of nearly 50 Canadian dogs under US military control that remained after the US departure.

The circumstances around the laws and absent funding over the long term transport and post service care of these animals is complex and demands public intervention to ensure these canine service members receive the medical and behavioral care and best possible lives during their years of service and throughout their post service lives. While things have improved somewhat for those dogs classified as MWD, leaving any behind with no care or in the hands of our enemies (historically in Vietnam, MWD were euthanized or set to roam the jungles rather than returned to the US) as is the usual case with CWD is unacceptable.

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We begin with long time zoo educator Lanie Angeles reminiscing  about her time at Moorpark College's Exotic Animal Training and Management Program and their recent 50th anniversary celebration. The lessons she learned there have helped her educate thousands of kids of all ages through animal outreach programs. She discusses the important and nearly universal impact that educational encounters with animals have on people of all ages, economic status, and walks of life. According to Lanie, ambassador animals are the "great leveler" turning even the most wealthy, famous or powerful people into inquisitive learners moved by the experience.

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AtoZooEducation.com

Scientist and historian Dr. Danielle Clode returns to discuss her extraordinary 2002 book, Killers in Eden and the documentary that followed in 2004 that explored the unique cooperative relationship between a pod of orcas and their human whaling partners in a small coastal town in New South Wales. Building upon the historic relationship between the aboriginal Yuin people and the killer whale which are viewed as Yuin ancestors, beginning in the early 1800s, European whalers in the town of Eden spared the seasonally returning predators in favor of teaming with them to hunt migrating humpback, blue, and fin whales. Much like a pack of dogs, the orcas would roundup, wear down, and trap the passing massive baleen whales towards the waiting humans and their small boats in the bay. At night, the orcas would even swim towards the shore to slap their tail flukes and alert the whalers that prey was passing near. The improbable interspecies cooperation was based upon the "Law of the Tongue" in which humans would leave whale carcasses anchored in the bay so that the orcas could feed on the preferred baleen whale parts such as the lips and tongue. After a few days, the whalers would haul the rest of the whale to shore to harvest the blubber for whale oil. This unlikely cooperation lasted decades until the end of whaling in the early 20th century.

Animal Care Software

With so many people inside and outside the zoological community paying attention to the Lolita/Toki killer whale story this past year, it was natural for there to be questions about her care, housing, training and future habitat. As events and confusing communications surrounding this beloved animal unfolded up to and including her sudden passing, questions about the role of trade associations like the International Marine Animal Trainers' Association (IMATA) emerged. Michael Hunt has been an active member of IMATA for decades including serving as its Board President on two occasions. He describes the process and narrow scope of IMATA accreditation of trainer development programs compared to other trade associations that accredit entire facilities, infrastructure, and operations. What are an organization's communications obligations to its individual members and what is their oversight role when circumstances like the one involving Lolita warrant increased scrutiny?

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At nearly 150 years old, the American Humane Society is the world's oldest animal welfare organization. Its Associate Vice President of Conservation, Jill Nizan joins Zoo Logic to discuss its many programs designed to support improved welfare anywhere and everywhere through science-backed and evidence-based tools. Using independent experts across farm, zoological, entertainment, domestic, and working animal sectors, American Humane Society and its international brand, Global Humane Society, are improving the lives and helping to ensure the survival of millions of animals and those that care for them.

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Providing adequate browse for species that specialize in such diet items can be a huge challenge for any zoological institution due to availability, cost, and quality. While many species adapt to the higher cell wall and lower nutrient levels found in grass hay and quality commercial diets designed to supplement the perishable nutrients that fresh browse provides, there are physiological, behavioral, and health-related tradeoffs to feeding animals foodstuffs that vary significantly from what they'd eat in a suitable, healthy wild habitat. Nutritionist, Dr. Katie Kerr has years of experience working with large and diverse animal collections in major US zoos. She discusses her affinity for problem-solving and the ways zoo animal nutrition has improved and where we ought to be headed to further enhance this major component of animal well-being.

Animal Care Software

With a family legacy of rewilding the Eastern Cape region of South Africa, Paul Gardiner has always had a close relationship with Africa's Wildlife and an affinity for filming. Together with his business partner, media executive and content producer Barbara Bellini, they have launched a new content platform on YouTube called Wildlens. This channel in beta testing is designed for those budding storytellers working in the field protecting, preserving, studying, and educating others about Nature and the amazing creatures found in it. Their stated mission is to unite people and animals, ignite engagement, and grow an enormous community passionate about our planet!

Animal Care Software

Starting her career in a more traditional zoo setting in the 1970's, Dr. Laurie Marker has dedicated her professional life to preserving cheetahs in the wild. After what is now Namibia gained independence from South Africa in 1990, she moved to the southern African nation to help reduce the hundreds of cheetahs killed by ranchers and farmers each year. Through the foundation she founded and leads as Executive Director, Cheetah Conservation Fund works to study, preserve, rescue, and most recently, reintroduce wild cheetahs. Dr. Marker describes her team's efforts in the cheetah translocation and rewinding effort underway in India, whose subspecies of cheetah went extinct in the 1950's. Dr. Marker invites zoo professionals and others interested in conserving cheetahs to attend one of her many events scheduled during her US tour underway now.

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Enrichment is a frequently tossed around term but what actually is it?  How is it being used today and is that application appropriate or even effective?  We are on location at the AZA annual conference hosted by Columbus Zoo & Aquarium with applied animal behavior experts Chuck Tompkins and Erin Ivory to discuss the current use of enrichment, how to better maximize its positive impact on animal well-being in managed care and more wild scenarios, and why the term may be a misnomer to cover for the collective historical reservations by some within the zoological space opposed to the idea of "training 'wild' animals tricks." 

Animal Care Software

As the executive director of the Community Conservation Fund for Africa or CCFA, Taryn Gillson works to help build community development through funding generated by ecotourism. Their goal is to assist communities participating in and benefiting from conservation. CCFA is the foundation of the ecotourism leading experts at Mantis following their merger with hotel management giant, Accor. Even more interesting is Taryn's status as a cyber tracker evaluator, the first female in the world to earn such status from the conservation software organization. Cyber tracker's original goal was to preserve and celebrate the dying science and skill of animal tracking for use in research and conservation.

Animal Care Software

Marine biologist Dr. Holley Muraco returns to Zoo Logic to discuss her recent work rehabilitating orphaned beavers. This iconic and unique species was integral to the early history and commerce of western Europeans in North America and narrowly managed to avoid extinction.  Holley also discusses her work monitoring the health of coastal Mississippi, largely via its resident dolphin population, through her new role with MS State University. Holley also discusses her experiences with and the passing of the beloved orca known as Lolita.

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It's part 2 of our conversation with Dolphin Quest co-founder, Dr. Jay Sweeney beginning with efforts to increase awareness and basic research of at-risk small cetaceans around the globe. Jay discusses some of the other research DQ has supported over its history including some pioneering work studying the off-shore bottlenose dolphins of Bermuda and their amazing adaptations to their deep sea habitat compared to their more familiar in-shore, smaller, coastal cousins. Jay also describes the bold initiative launched 20 years ago called "project newborn" whose purpose was to safely collect neonatal physiological data on fragile baby dolphins to improve their survivability. Jay concludes with some helpful advice for new veterinarians entering the field.

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Founded nearly a quarter of a century ago, Mantis is a boutique hotel group with a focus on conservation and sustainable eco-tourism. Mantis founder, Adrian Gardiner, born in Zambia, took his childhood interest in wildlife and began a life-long journey towards restoring and rewinding thousands of acres of degraded farmland in South Africa. Among the many boutique hotels Mantis has developed around the world since, Adrian and the Mantis team were instrumental in the early plans to restore and re-wild Akagera National park in Rwanda. Mantis' foundation, Community Conservation Fund Africa (CCFA) is "a grant-giving and fundraising instrument to support company efforts in addressing social and environmental imbalances, and the growing conservation crisis, not only in Africa, but in the world."

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Most zoological professionals would rather spend each day focusing on providing great welfare for their animals than keeping tabs on restrictive bills moving through Congress or the state legislature. Unfortunately, today's environment necessitates that everyone proactively engage in the legislative and lobbying process in order to prevent anti-zoo groups and their false narratives from convincing lawmakers to enact unnecessary laws that curtail the important work of zoos and aquariums. Zoological Association of America (ZAA) government affairs consultant, attorney Tom Albert discusses recent laws and bills that should concern us all.

Animal Care Software

Our ability to rescue, treat, and hopefully, return stranded marine mammals to sea has greatly improved over the past few decades with advancements in husbandry, medicine, and veterinary care. However, our ability to also behaviorally treat animals, especially juveniles during critical learning periods, to better prepare them physically and mentally for the wild has understandably lagged behind over concerns about animals becoming habituated to human activities and objects. Recently, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center led a pilot study, to explore the benefits of providing rescue animals access to environmental enrichment devices with support provided by KONG company founder, Joe Markham and his team, to determine if such use would increase desirable behaviors while reducing the development of unwanted behaviors such as looking for rescue staff. Several of the coauthors of the resulting paper, Environmental Enrichment Devices Are Safe and Effective at Reducing Undesirable Behaviors in California Sea Lions and Northern Elephant Seals during Rehabilitation, published in the journal Animals discuss the project, including Dr. Hendrik Nollens, Dr. Alissa Deming, lead author Kirsten Donald, and AnimalConcepts' Sabrina Brando.

KORE Zoo & Enrichment

After five years and nearly 300 weekly episodes on animals, training, human behavior and much more, Natural Encounters' TEC podcast is hitting the long pause. Show hosts Ari Bailey and Chris Jenkins have decided now may be the right time to sunset the long-running, keeper-trainer favorite, now that Chris has accepted an executive director role at another zoo. The hosts discuss their mutual long history at NEI training animals and people, as well as, their favorite episodes and guests, as well as, a few that didn't quite make it! 

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As the son of one of the first female marine biologists in the world and certainly at Southern California's Scripp's Institute of Oceanography, Dr. Jay Sweeney grew up surrounded by aquatic life, surfing, and scientific discovery. Long before he co-founded Dolphin Quest and helped launch the public animal interactive experience with Dr. Rae Stone we know today, Jay worked with SeaWorld and the US Navy's marine mammal program as a young veterinarian devising diagnostic tools, particularly in the area of cytology, to study, monitor, and maintain animal health. But it was at Marineland of the Pacific where Jay recalls a welcoming philosophy that brought biologists, veterinarians, and behaviorists together in the early days of marine mammal display and care to share ideas and best practices-- a philosophy he and his colleagues continue to this day at their exotic locations in Hawaii and Bermuda. Jay speaks fondly of the important animal health role that trainers and keepers play in caring for exotic animals. In his spare time, Jay has developed his interest and skills in art through woodworking sculptures of small cetaceans, which he donates to various conservation organizations to support students.

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Going on an African safari is a dream for many but what should travelers know about their destination before booking with a tour operator?  We spoke to the team from Rickshaw Travels Rwanda about the growth of sustainable ecotourism in the small mountainous country as well as other popular East African locations. While there are many similarities among range countries, each differs not only by the number and type of species and ecosystems, but also in their respective travel infrastructure, capacity, and cost of accommodations.

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Dr. Susan G. Friedman, professor emeritus from the Department of Psychology at Utah State University is well known among the zoological community for her expertise in behavior change and learning. She consults for a variety of animal organizations and facilities, is a frequent speaker at professional meetings, and her written work has been translated into well over a dozen languages. According to her website, BehaviorWorks.org, the behavior of individuals is always the study of one. She discusses the importance of providing choice to animals and how we can infer what animals are thinking or feeling by their observable behavior and the context in which it occurs.

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Many people, perhaps most including some scientists, think Monarch Butterflies are in trouble. It turns out, according to Monarch expert and researcher, Andy Davis, PhD from the UGA Odum School of Ecology that Monarch populations over the past decade are stable and may even be climbing. So what began as a Zoo Logic conversation about threats to Monarchs quickly turned into a discussion about the importance of science communications and the difficulty of correcting the public narrative when it is factually wrong. The implications of strongly held, false narratives among the public, media or policymakers are significant and include expensive, misguided and even harmful public policies, what types of research questions are funded or not, and whether data running contrary to the prevailing opinion even gets published in peer-reviewed journals. The parallels to the strongly held narratives about zoos and aquariums and certain charismatic species in human care are unmistakable.

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Longtime trainer and conservationist Julie Scardina reflects on her time filming Mountain Gorillas with Jack Hanna in Rwanda a mere decade after the 1994 genocide. Julie has since trekked to view these great apes many times across their range in nearby Uganda.   Since her retirement as ambassador for SeaWorld & Busch Gardens where she helped manage their Conservation Fund, Julie leads Mission Wildlife, raising awareness and funds to support important conservation projects in Africa and elsewhere.

Animal Care Software

In a zoological podcast first, the hosts of 4 animal training and welfare related shows, including Zoo Logic, join together to discuss how their respective programs came about, future goals, as well as, content similarities and differences. Guests include Ryan Cartlidge of The Animal Training Academy podcast, Shane Corbett of the recently launched Animal Behavior Conversations podcast from the Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA), and Ari Bailey and Chris Jenkins from The Natural Encounters, Inc., Training and Education Center (TEC) Talk podcast.

Animal Care Software

On a recent extended visit to a zoo, one topic that arose among some of the keeper staff concerned the individual animal well-being pros and cons of hand-rearing predator species versus managing them as parent-raised animals. Historically, many zoos have preferred to let young predatory species, especially elusive felines, be reared entirely by the parent, with minimal contact with human caregivers. As part of long term conservation goals that included the possibility of reintroducing zoo born animals to their original ranges, this husbandry management practice made sense in order to avoid habituation to human beings and activities during critical learning periods. However, even in wealthier nations with ample resources and oversight, the reintroduction, or merely the preservation of existing predator populations like wolves, in the wild has been plagued with setbacks, modest results, and public resistance.

As society sorts out global land-use policies and struggles to find better ways to reduce human-animal conflicts, should our zoological animal management strategies be adapted, at least for the foreseeable future, to reflect this reality? In our noble quest to achieve a conservation dream of future species reintroductions, are we sacrificing individual animal welfare today by not doing everything we can to prepare these newborns for a more likely lifetime in managed human care? Our guest, long time zoo curator Suzi Rapp believes the answer to questions like these requires us to gather more scientific data in order balance the conservation needs of the species with the welfare needs of the individual.

Animal Care Software

After more than seven years of planning, construction, collection planning, staffing and transports, an international team has opened the massive all-new indoor SeaWorld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. General Curator, Rob Yordi, has been a major part of the process from the earliest days of specialized teams drawing up next generation exhibit designs to launching operations a few weeks ago. Rob discusses the 8 realm facility that features several "dynamic," multi-species habitats, and how this facility relied on and enhanced decades of SeaWorld animal care, exhibitry, research, and life support expertise to bring species never before seen in that part of the world.

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War, genocide, human population growth, food insecurity, poaching, limited range, climate change and land use policies are just some of the reasons why mountain gorillas have been on the brink of extinction for decades. A reality made more stark given the subspecies was only "discovered" by the West as recently as 1902. Today, the Mountain Gorilla, made part of the public consciousness by the embedded research and advocacy efforts of the late Dr. Dian Fossey, and later by modern zoos and zoo media personalities like Jack Hanna, has rebounded somewhat in the beautiful central African country of Rwanda. While these conservation gains are far from guaranteed, concentrated research, public education, greater security, and well-managed ecotourism efforts have preserved mountain gorillas for now. Join Zoo Logic from the field for a real time glimpse at what trekking to see this charismatic species entails for them and for humans in a small country still coping with the legacy of genocide. 

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Kigali Genocide Memorial

Recently, a group of scientists and animal facilities announced  a cooperative program called the Marine Mammal Research Network to match researchers and students with institutions interested in conducting investigations for the conservation and welfare benefit of wild populations and those living in human care. Dr Jason Bruck returns to discuss the group's formation and goals, as well as, how interested students, facilities, and/or researchers can get involved.

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Dr. Tony Monahan is an artist, writer and professional educator at City University of New York. His fascination with turtles from an artistic and conservation perspective led him on a nearly four-year journey to write: The Turtle Lovers' Guidebook.  With more than 500 photographs, the book features 164 public facilities across the U.S. where one can see these amazing creatures. In addition to celebrating the zoos and aquariums that exhibit turtles and tortoises, Tony provides readers with resources to learn more, including ways to conserve and protect wild populations.

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Recently, labor journalist Asher Elbein published a story in Undark Magazine describing a legal settlement in favor of a primate researcher claiming sexual assault and retaliation against an accredited zoo director and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. What is the remedy when an organization created to assist facility and individual members, and at the same time hold them accountable to higher standards of animal care and professional conduct, fails to act or worse, treats some within its ranks better than others?

Animal Care Software

Known for its snarky videos and scathing websites directed at exposing animal rights groups, Berman and Co may have new leadership, but its purpose remains: speaking truth to power and revealing the hypocrisy of those bent on eliminating zoos, aquariums and animals in human care. The organization's new executive director, Jack Hubbard, discusses their new website  EnvironmentandWelfare.com, which includes easy to access "activist" profiles, issue briefs, and videos to assist consumers and animal attractions push back on the false narratives promoted by well-funded activist groups.

Animal Care Software

A few chapters in to A Future in Flames, by returning guest Dr. Danielle Clode, one realizes that Australia has a unique relationship with wildfire unlike any other large land mass. On the one hand, wildfire has helped shaped the continent and the plant and animal life we know today. At the same time, this isolated continent's natural and anthropogenic-driven evolution, especially over the last 100,000 years has affected the nature of wildfire itself. As other regions around the globe experience climate and habitat changes in the coming century that favor larger, more destructive events, what lessons can wildfire prone countries learn from the Australian example to preserve life, ecosystems, and property?

Animal Care Software

Three leaders behind some of today's top animal record-keeping software management systems discuss their joint effort to establish data portability as the new standard for zoos, aquariums and related organizations. On the surface, David Kleven, Mark Simmons and Tony Niemann are competitors in the electronic animal record-keeping arena. Behind the scenes, however, these three recognize the greater purpose for their collaboration when it comes to seamlessly sharing critical animal data profiles to foster better individual and species level understanding and care. 

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Animal Data Sharing

With so many competing outside voices claiming to know what is best for the 57-year-old orca named Toki, we knew it was important to better understand the unique individual behind the stage name Lolita by those who actually cared for her daily for decades. Experienced animal professionals Heather Keenan and Marni Wood spent decades at Miami Seaquarium caring for and building relationships based on trust with Toki. They describe this impressive animal's strengths and significant limitations in accepting disruptions to her routine, companions, and habitat to the point of shutting down mentally and physically at even modest changes. Their hope is to sit down with all the stakeholders that will determine Toki's fate and discuss why, much like Keiko before her, moving this elderly animal across country to a sea pen and separating her from her human family will needlessly place her welfare and life in jeopardy.

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Truth 4 Toki

The social and traditional media response in the wake of news that owners of Miami Seaquarium have partnered with groups bent on returning ailing 57 year old Lolita to her home waters of the Pacific Northwest after more than 50 years in human care has been extraordinary. With few details about how such a project would be completed and sustained safely and successfully for her and the few remaining critically endangered southern resident killer whales, we asked researcher Dr. Jason Bruck and Orca Conservancy Executive Director, Shari Tarantino to discuss the huge gaps in scientific knowledge that need to be filled before such a move can be seriously contemplated and authorized by regulatory agencies. Remarkably, given the potential zoonotic risks to the resident whales and the ongoing threats to their survival like acoustic noise, pollution, and most of all, starvation from dwindling salmon stocks, Shari and her team oppose such a move despite the fact her organization was originally created in the mid 1990's to return Toki to her home waters. Both Shari and Jason agree that any decision to relocate her must be based on objective science and behavioral data that ensures her welfare, not what makes people feel good.

Animal Care Software

Late last week the zoological world was blindsided by the announcement that the owners of Miami Seaquarium had entered into an agreement with anti-zoo organizations and a wealthy philanthropist from the NFL to return the oldest orca in human care named Lolita (a.k.a. Tokitae) to her original range in the Pacific Northwest.

Against the backdrop of the disastrous results of how Keiko (Free Willy) was returned and died alone at sea over 20 years ago, professionals from all sectors of the zoological, research, and conservation communities, especially those involved with marine mammals, have expressed skepticism and outrage about moving a geriatric, chronically ill and possibly deaf orca, with documented limited ability to adapt to changes in her immediate environment and routines to compromised habitat of the critically endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales. 

Former IMATA and AMMPA president, Billy Hurley and Killing Keiko author and Keiko's former trainer Mark Simmons weigh in on the news and share their historical, scientific, training, political, and welfare concerns about this beloved animal.

Animal Care Software 

Along with her late husband, Tara Lordi has channeled her passion for the outdoors, lakes, and ponds she enjoyed in her youth into developing non toxic solutions to preserve our vital waterways and water treatment facilities from overgrowth of invasive weeds. With runoff from farms, industry, and faulty septic systems, the nation's fresh, brackish and marine ecosystems are under siege from invasive plants which pose a significant economic impact on communities and aquatic life. To help communities sustainably maintain their water resources without the use of herbicides, Tara's Florida based company has developed small workboat solutions to remove organic materials. With the giant seaweed blob headed towards the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, her aquatic weed harvester solutions are in high demand.

Animal Care Software 

Zoo Logic Podcast

There are millions of unwanted feral cats roaming the US, leaving an indelible mark on vulnerable species conservation. Before appreciating the size of the problem that feral cats present globally, Neighborhood Cats founder, Bryan Kortis recognized the issue in his own NYC backyard as he tried to rescue and place a few kittens found next to his apartment. Turns out one useful strategy is known as TNR, trap, neuter and return.  Bryan suggests TNR has to be applied in a targeted fashion in order to have high sterilization rates in defined locations resulting in gradual but significant population decline and control of feral cats. He discusses the nuanced application of TNR in sensitive nesting areas in places like Maui, as well as, the pushback his efforts have received by many in the conservation biology community.  Have we in the zoological and conservation space made an as yet unrealized perfect solution the enemy of the good?

Animal Care Software

Zoo Logic Podcast

Seven years ago SeaWorld was approached with the idea of building a world class marine animal facility in Abu Dhabi. Long time SeaWorld and Busch Gardens curator, Rob Yordi, was involved in planning this immense indoor park from the start.  While we don't yet know exactly when in 2023 SeaWorld Abu Dhabi will open to the public, the Yas/SeaWorld Research and Rescue center has launched to serve the conservation and educational needs of the region.

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Zoo Logic Podcast

Before even graduating high school, a young Randy Wells worked as an intern at Mote Marine Lab training dolphins as part of shark-dolphin interaction study. He would eventually become part of the world's longest running study of a population of wild dolphins known as the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP).  For decades, Dr. Wells has led the collaborative effort of veterinarians, researchers, students and volunteers to monitor and assess the behavior, biology and ecology of generations of resident bottlenose dolphins along the west central Florida coast. To date he has trained about 100 graduate students, written several books and chapters, and published well over 300 peer-reviewed papers on dolphin social structure, auditory function, physiology, anthropogenic threats to these animals, and more. In addition to serving as the program's director, Dr. Wells is VP of marine mammal conservation at Brookfield Zoo Chicago which has overseen the program since the late 1980's.

Animal Care Software

After years of delays due to scheduling, hurricanes, and COVID, the long discussed combined conference of trainers from the Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA) and the International Marine Animal Trainers' Association (IMATA) is underway in Atlanta.  Zoo Logic is live with two of the organizations' long time leaders, Nicki Boyd, Curator of Applied Behavior from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and Will Elgar, Director of ZOO Miami. While animal training in applied zoo and aquarium settings will always be the primary focus of these groups, both leaders recognize the growing importance and industry influence their alliance of behaviorists have on the global zoological community. 

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KORE Enrichment Products

Environmental journalist Marlowe Starling recently published an article in Mongabay about the efforts of Ukrainian biologists and their colleagues around the world to preserve data, specimens, and research sites in the war ravaged country. These biologists have risked their lives to transport, recover, and most importantly, share conservation data with scientists around the globe. The urgency is great as field research on vulnerable and endangered species such as the sandy blind mole-rat, the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin, migratory birds, and native plants has come to a standstill or has been severely curtailed, and original data sets have been lost. 

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KONG Zoo

Zoo Logic

With all the activist and conservation challenges confronting the zoological world, it's important to just stop and appreciate good news when it happens. Recently, the Tanganika Wildlife Park announced its first successful birth of an Indian rhinoceros, also called the greater one-horned rhino. This large species of rhino once numbered as few as 100 individuals in the wild. Today, while still considered vulnerable, it has made a remarkable comeback to approximately 4000 animals according to sources like the International Rhino Foundation. Even more remarkable is this young calf was born to a mother who was conceived through artificial insemination--proving that reproductive assistance techniques developed for humans has a role to play in species conservation. The park's curator of research and welfare, Dr. Samantha Russak and primary rhino keeper, Sierra Smith discuss the new arrival and all the adjustments needed as a result of this significant birth.

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KONG Zoo

Zoo Logic