Biologist EO Wilson has been called the heir to Darwin. His decades of work in evolutionary biology and island ecology has helped shape modern thinking about species conservation and the increased extinction risks associated with shrinking wild habitats. Science author Jeremy Hance had the opportunity to interview Dr Wilson a few years prior to his recent passing and shares insights into the legendary researcher's life, work, and legacy. Animal care Software KONG Zoo Zoo Logic...
Jan 20, 2022•37 min•Season 4Ep. 197
As most fans know, the late Betty White loved animals and zoos. She routinely donated her time and support to zoos and aquariums and often shared the stage with her good friend, Jungle Jack Hanna. Conservation Ambassador's, David Jackson returns to describe what working with Betty was like on and off stage. Plus, the passing of another zoological icon. Animal Care Software KONG Zoo Zoo Logic ZOOmility...
Jan 13, 2022•25 min•Season 4Ep. 196
After nearly a 3-year gap since its last annual conference due to the pandemic, the International Marine Animal Trainers' Association (IMATA) will soon host an in-person conference in Chicago. The timing couldn't be better with 2022 marking the 50th anniversary of the animal training organization. Madelynn Hettiger, animal manager with the Shedd Aquarium and IMATA VP responsible for planning the conference discusses the lineup of speakers, workshops, and events. That Sounds Wild: mini donkey Ani...
Jan 06, 2022•21 min•Season 4Ep. 195
Dedicated to preserving animals uniquely adapted to survive the hottest, driest, and sparsely vegetated desert for which it is named, the Sahara Conservation Fund works to preserve habitat and to reintroduce critically endangered species to the wild. SCF CEO John Watkin describes the organization's successful cooperation among zoos, field biologists, governments and supporters to maintain nationally protected areas and build productive breeding and return programs with species on the brink of ex...
Dec 30, 2021•44 min•Season 4Ep. 194
Recently, Zoo Logic was invited to participate in an online international Cooperative Care Conference conducted by the behavioral team at ZooSpensefull . Our topic was a focused look at the enigmatic Least Reinforcing Scenario with one of the architects of the behavioral tool, Ted Turner. After more than 30 years, why is there ongoing debate about the LRS? Why do some still conflate the LRS with a timeout? More importantly, what are the behavioral laws that form the basis for the LRS and its res...
Dec 23, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 193
On a cold day sixteen years ago, a months old bottlenose dolphin calf was severely entangled by a crab trap. Thanks to a quick thinking fisherman notifying rescuers, the young animal was eventually freed from the strangling ropes and taken to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium for recovery. The constriction of blood flow to her tail led to the loss of her flukes and marked the beginning of an extraordinary tale of survival and perseverance by a small cetacean the world would eventually come to know ...
Dec 16, 2021•36 min•Season 4Ep. 192
Animal professionals often experience great highs in their work from the birth of an endangered species to the smiles on the young faces of future conservationists. Yet, animal work is often heavy with the sadness of losing a dear animal or frustration at the slow pace of societal change for the better. To help individuals and institutions better navigate the chronic and acute mental health aspects of animal work, our guest Erin McNally, helped create GRAZE: Growing Resiliency for Aquarium and Z...
Dec 09, 2021•14 min•Season 4Ep. 191
After some 30 years as an animal trainer and agency owner working in film, TV, and print, Cris Rankin has worked with dozens of domestic, exotic and native species from skunks to scorpions. What is the life of an animal actor like and what steps does Chris take to ensure the well-being of the animals while on set, as well as, between gigs. How has animal wrangling changed during her career and does she think computer technology will eventually replace all animal actors? Animal Care Software KONG...
Dec 02, 2021•54 min•Season 4Ep. 190
Healthy forests provide immeasurable benefits to humans, animals and ecosystems from capturing carbon to preventing erosion and preserving water tables, just to name a few. So it is important to understand the complex and interconnected layers of threats trees face today. Forest health specialist, Aly McAlexander from Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management describes the deleterious effects stemming from years of mega drought, bark beetle infestation, and 100 years of fire suppression...
Nov 25, 2021•40 min•Season 4Ep. 189
Randy Babb is a retired wildlife biologist, author, and educator having spent his long career with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. As the year end holidays approach, he discusses the iconic wild turkey, the importance of preserving species and habitats, and the positive influence that changing demographics of wildlife biologists promises for the future of conservation efforts. Plus, we remember Winter, the special bottlenose dolphin whose story of survival touched the world. Animal Care So...
Nov 18, 2021•44 min•Season 4Ep. 188
The events of 9/11 had a profound effect on a young Clarissa Ward's career plans and ultimately led her on path to becoming an award winning journalist with a focus on covering conflict zones. From the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the devastation of civil war in Syria, she describes her dangerous work and its impact on her personally, in her book, On All Fronts . Currently serving as CNN's Chief International correspondent, we discuss some of the personal and professional challenges and simil...
Nov 11, 2021•41 min•Season 4Ep. 187
Modern zookeeping involves an array of disciplines from veterinary medicine and operant conditioning to species specific nutrition. Founded in 1989, Mazuri , which means "good" in Swahili has researched, developed and brought to market exotic animal diets across the spectrum of avian, reptile, insect, fish and mammalian species. Our guest, Dr. Troy Tollefson joined the Mazuri team after studying the dietary needs of bears and later serving as nutritionist at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. He descri...
Nov 04, 2021•43 min•Season 4Ep. 186
For the past few decades, an unsubstantiated narrative which suggests as many as 10,000 big cats are living in backyards across America has been repeated without evidence. The poorly understood and tracked presence or absence of so many endangered and dangerous felines has implications for policymakers and conservationists alike. To help shed some light on these issues, frequent Zoo Logic contributor, Rachel Garner discusses her recent peer-reviewed paper on the number of big cats found in USDA ...
Oct 28, 2021•48 min•Season 4Ep. 185
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 o...
Oct 21, 2021•47 min•Season 4Ep. 184
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 prevaili...
Oct 14, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 4Ep. 183
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 w...
Oct 07, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 182
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 importanc...
Sep 30, 2021•31 min•Season 4Ep. 181
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 pass...
Sep 23, 2021•34 min•Season 4Ep. 180
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 ...
Sep 16, 2021•46 min•Season 4Ep. 179
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 enric...
Sep 09, 2021•33 min•Season 4Ep. 178
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 supp...
Sep 02, 2021•28 min•Season 4Ep. 177
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...
Aug 26, 2021•43 min•Season 4Ep. 176
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 mor...
Aug 19, 2021•42 min•Season 4Ep. 175
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 s...
Aug 12, 2021•36 min•Season 4Ep. 174
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. W...
Aug 05, 2021•43 min•Season 4Ep. 173
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? Wh...
Jul 29, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 4Ep. 172
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...
Jul 22, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 171
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...
Jul 15, 2021•57 min•Season 4Ep. 170
Spring and summer represent the peak season when newly weaned seals and sea lion pups strand along the California coastline. Celebrating its 50th year, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center has rescued, rehabilitated, and returned approximately 10,000 animals since its humble start by a concerned lifeguard prior to the creation of the landmark conservation legislation known as the Marine Mammal Protection Act. While many marine mammal populations have recovered in recent decades, threats to their sur...
Jul 08, 2021•50 min•Season 4Ep. 169
As Director of Communications for one of the largest zoos and aquariums in the western US, Kristy Morcom relies on her animal care and training experiences like barrel racing horses, being a mother to young kids, and her nurturing personality to share wild animal and conservation stories through print, radio, television and increasingly, social media. Given the scrutiny and criticism zoos often face today by a small but vocal minority, Kristy advocates for building relationships with the communi...
Jul 01, 2021•43 min•Season 4Ep. 168
