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. Animal Care Software Zoo Logic Podcast...
Mar 16, 2023•35 min•Season 5Ep. 257
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 sett...
Mar 09, 2023•21 min•Season 5Ep. 256
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 Bl...
Mar 02, 2023•34 min•Season 5Ep. 255
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 sour...
Feb 23, 2023•22 min•Season 5Ep. 254
In the 20th century, it was the norm for people over the span of decades to work at and eventually retire from the same company. With the approach of the 21st century, a monumental economic shift occurred in which most employees now have a more varied work history with multiple employers over much shorter durations. So to meet zoological professionals with a lifetime of experience at one location with the same individual animals, not just the same species, is increasingly rare. Nicole West, anim...
Feb 16, 2023•34 min•Season 5Ep. 253
Board certified veterinarian and author, Dr. Doug Mader returns to discuss the growing problem of invasive species throughout Florida and especially, the Everglades and Keys. Given the perfect climate and bountiful food availability, it's no wonder why one such invasive species, the green iguana, has flourished to the point of being deemed a nuisance animal by the state. Still, there are some residents that want to protect the iguanas despite their overgrowth which only serves to complicate matt...
Feb 09, 2023•34 min•Season 5Ep. 252
Historically, many if not most scientists dismissed the value of studying wild animals in managed care settings like zoos and aquariums. With dwindling wild populations in need of immediate conservation solutions and increased competition for research funding, the importance and relevance of studying animals in human care has been on the increase. Friend of the podcast, Dr. Jason Bruck and some of his graduate students discuss the challenges and opportunities of developing working relationships ...
Feb 02, 2023•38 min•Season 5Ep. 251
By the mid 2000's, Chris Fischer began to lend his business, angling, and media acumen to answering a basic question facing ocean scientists and all of humanity: how do we ensure our grandkids will be able to eat a fish sandwich? Having grown up in the 1970's and all too familiar with the depleted fish stocks of the western Atlantic at that time, Chris realized the biggest threat to our world oceans was a data deficit and the siloing of well-intentioned researchers stuck in an antiquated and dys...
Jan 26, 2023•38 min•Season 5Ep. 250
Few species are as widely recognizable as Australia's koala. Despite its iconic status and reams of studies, there is much we don't know about this species and the threats to its survival. As a result, Dr. Danielle Clode chose to explore "why this species is the lone survivor of a once-diverse family of uniquely Australian marsupials." Her new book Koala: a natural history and an uncertain future ( W.W. Norton & Company ) released this month examines their behavior, physiology, and complex r...
Jan 19, 2023•35 min•Season 5Ep. 249
This past week marks a year since the passing of Wildlife World Zoo founder, Mickey Ollson. And while changes as significant as the loss of a leader can be paralyzing to any organization, the team at Wildlife World knew there would be no time to close shop and grieve when thousands of animals and tens of thousands of visitors are depending on them. Wildlife World spokesperson and president, Kristy Hayden reflects on the staff's and facility's past year, describes some of the improvements made th...
Jan 12, 2023•21 min•Season 5Ep. 248
While many zoos and aquariums feature animals from around the globe, Bearizona , located in the old western town of Williams, Arizona is uniquely situated among ponderosa pines to focus on north American species. Director of Animals, Dave O'connell returns to discuss managing animals, including more than 40 black and brown bears at high elevation where snow and weather can be extreme. Animal Care Software KONG Zoo Zoo Logic...
Jan 05, 2023•26 min•Season 5Ep. 247
Growing up in New Jersey, conservationist, author, and award-winning filmmaker, Paul Rosolie would much rather be outdoors testing his own survival skills than in a classroom. As a young boy he was fascinated by rainforests. Even before graduating college, he had formed an ecotourism company with his mentor Juan Julio Durand. Proceeds from leading ecotours to some of the most remote and dangerous regions in the world are used to purchase and protect pristine patches of the Peruvian rainforest. P...
Dec 29, 2022•39 min•Season 5Ep. 246
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the International Marine Animal Trainers' Association has recently published a decade-by-decade account of major contributions by its members to research, conservation, strengthening the human-animal bond, husbandry, and veterinary medicine through advancements in animal training. Michael Hunt, a long time zoological professional with decades of engagement with the organization at all levels of its leadership, discusses IMATA's history and future, including an u...
Dec 22, 2022•38 min•Season 5Ep. 245
In addition to serving as the current board chair for the Zoological Association of America , Holly Hunt operates the African Safari Wildlife Park in Port Clinton, Ohio. She also serves as president of the International Animal Exchange , an exotic animal import/export and transport company started over 60 years ago by her father and uncles. Who better than someone with Holly's experience to discuss the confusing transport, display, and import implications of the recently passed Big Cat Public Sa...
Dec 15, 2022•34 min•Season 5Ep. 244
In an effort to help reduce the effects of human-caused greenhouse gases on global climate, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums has recently produced a publicly available comprehensive guide to help facilities and individuals reduce their carbon footprint. Karen Fifield, WAZA Vice President from Wellington Zoo and Helen Lockhart, from Two Oceans Aquarium were instrumental in producing the guide and discuss its implementation for zoos and aquariums of all sizes and resources. The importan...
Dec 08, 2022•32 min•Season 5Ep. 243
Dr. Doug Mader is an experienced, board-certified veterinarian with expertise in equine, small animal, and exotic animal care. The author of several medical textbooks, book chapters, and hundred of articles, his most recent book is The Vet at Noah's Ark: stories of survival from an inner-city animal hospital. The book is a celebration of the human-animal bond and reflects on his time in Los Angeles protecting his animal patients and his team during the time of the Rodney King riots. His many tal...
Dec 01, 2022•35 min•Season 5Ep. 242
The team at ZooSpensefull has created its second annual Cooperative Care Conference for animal professionals and enthusiasts. Founder Peter Giljam describes the reasoning behind the conference to bring trainers from diverse animal backgrounds together to share behavior modification ideas, solutions, and best practices. The online conference features over a dozen international speakers over several days. Attendees will be able to access recorded presentations and panel discussions for several mon...
Nov 24, 2022•28 min•Season 5Ep. 241
Mission K9 Rescue's purpose is to "Rescue, Reunite, Re-Home, Rehabilitate and Repair any retired working dog that has served mankind in some capacity." Whether it's bringing them back from overseas deployments which is quite costly, reuniting them with their military handlers, or rescuing them from poor environments at home, Mission K9 works to provide the best possible care for working canines once their service is completed due to injury, age, and/or health issues. Mission K9 co-founder Bob Br...
Nov 17, 2022•32 min•Season 5Ep. 240
Animal curator LynnLee Schmidt formed Animals Amplified to "save the world one person at a time," by providing professional development courses for zookeepers and animal trainers so they can own their own development and provide amazing care for their animals. Rather than give keepers permission to quit difficult work environments or managers, she tries to help individuals develop their own skill sets to cope with all the challenges and opportunities found in such workplaces. Animal Care Softwar...
Nov 10, 2022•31 min•Season 5Ep. 239
As he describes in his recently released first book, Dog Dad: How Animals Bring out the Best in Us and Can Help Save the World , Instagram sensation Tophy Brophy's childhood was anything but easy. Suffering from anxiety and never feeling fully connected to the people around him, Topher recalls years of loneliness, depression and attempts to cure his "sad sickness." Once he found a lifelong friend in a puppy named Rosenberg, the quality of life for Topher increased dramatically. In addition to th...
Nov 03, 2022•37 min•Season 5Ep. 238
We catch up with long time pinniped trainer, Heather Crane to see how the recent launch of her 16,000 square foot animal rescue, training, and boarding facility for Sea Dog Animal Training is going. As part of her mission to help the animal population of Houston, Heather and her team set aside about 40% of kennel space for rescue and feral dog rehabilitation. In addition to the main boarding wing, there's a specially designed rescue wing with extra environmental controls to help animals adjust a...
Oct 27, 2022•25 min•Season 5Ep. 237
We catch up with Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue, and Recovery ( ZDR3 ) executive director, Julia Wagner following their deployment to south Florida immediately after hurricane Ian made landfall. Julia shares what the team discovered, and how member zoo and aquarium facilities both in the region and from several states away were quick to provide resources and expertise to help facilities devastated by flooding, power loss, downed trees and damaged structures and fencing. Animal Care Softwar...
Oct 20, 2022•31 min•Season 5Ep. 236
Dr. Katie Hall is the Animal Welfare and Training coordinator for Sedgwick County Zoo . Her interest in animal welfare and training began as a teenager when she had the opportunity to provide care for chimpanzees used in the film industry. As an internal consultant to the animal care and veterinary team, Dr. Hall describes the importance of collecting and using behavioral and physiological data to inform on husbandry and management decisions to improve individual animal welfare. Animal Care Soft...
Oct 13, 2022•29 min•Season 5Ep. 235
Less than 24 hours after the near category 5 strength hurricane Ian made landfall in southwestern Florida, Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue, and Recovery (ZDR3) executive director, Julia Wagner, was already booked on a flight to help the region's zoos and aquariums. Julia describes the consortium of over 100 zoological facilities nationwide who have signed on to lend assistance, staffing, expertise, and other resources whenever facilities request help following natural and made-made disaster...
Oct 01, 2022•20 min•Season 5Ep. 234
For nearly 100 years, the Sacramento Zoo has operated on approximately 14 acres. As a result of improvements in animal welfare standards, many of the iconic charismatic species the zoo once displayed are no longer featured due to space. Soon after becoming CEO, Jason Jacobs began investigating what it would take to modernize the current zoo or relocate to a larger location. The analysis concluded that modernization of the existing zoo would cost about as much as the first phase of a new facility...
Sep 29, 2022•36 min•Season 5Ep. 233
As the song Collide states, even the best fall down sometimes. That was the situation in 2020-2021 when one of the premier zoological institutions in the world, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium , stumbled as a result of poor judgment by a few in leadership. Stepping into the fray was long time Texas State Aquarium CEO Tom Schmid to answer the call to restore stakeholder trust in the organization. Tom describes his efforts to rebuild the institution's reputation and plans for future growth and reinv...
Sep 22, 2022•32 min•Season 5Ep. 232
As the newer director of Turtle Back Zoo with an all female senior leadership team, Dr. Jilian Fazio discusses the growing demographic shift in zoological professions towards greater diversity. As more women assume leadership roles, what does she believe are some of the long term implications for the zoo and aquarium community? Plus, as the leader of her organization how does she adjust to the typical and often rapid-fire highs and lows of working with animals. Animal Care Software KONG Zoo Zoo ...
Sep 15, 2022•31 min•Season 5Ep. 231
Clay Carabajal got his zoological start as a "show host" at SeaWorld of Texas. While not exactly the role he envisioned at the marine mammal park as a young man, he turned it into one opportunity after another over a 17-year span. The lessons learned served him well as an educator and ambassador animal presenter. Following the examples set by his mentors Julie Scardina and Jungle Jack Hanna, Clay launched his own YouTube channel featuring wild animals and facilities, which he now conducts from h...
Sep 08, 2022•33 min•Season 5Ep. 230
About 5 years ago, a month old beluga whale calf from the endangered subpopulation of cetaceans native to Cook Inlet Alaska stranded on a mud flat. Much to the surprise of initial responders from the Alaska Sealife Center , the little male was still alive but in serious condition. Over the next serval days and weeks, members of the marine mammal zoological community rallied from across the U.S. to provide medical resources and staffing to provide him around the clock care. By early 2018, NOAA Fi...
Sep 01, 2022•36 min•Season 5Ep. 229
How do we describe the last of any living thing, plant or animal? Is there even a word for something, some individual that is the last of its kind? And does it matter? According to scientist and historian, Dr. Lydia Pyne , one useful word may be, "Endling." In her new book, Endlings: Fables for the Anthropocene , she explains why these “last individuals” are poignant characters in the stories that humans tell themselves about today’s Anthropocene. From Benjamin the thylacine to Celia the ibex to...
Aug 25, 2022•33 min•Season 5Ep. 228
