Zoo Logic

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 remem...

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 Chie...

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 t...

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 contribu...

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...

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...

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 thi...

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 discusse...

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 r...

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...

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 co...

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 pass...

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...

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 th...

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 surgi...

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 o...

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 profess...

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 C...

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, res...

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 Protect...

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 fa...

Amy Van Dyken-Rouen holds the record for being the first American woman to win 4 gold medals in the same Olympic Games. As a child suffering from severe asthma, Amy took up swimming to improve her lung capacity and breathing, which enabled her to become part of a team and do the the kind of things kids like to do. By high school, Amy narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 1992 games. She spent...

Built along America's Space Coast, the Brevard zoo has an entrepreneurial history with a focus on local conservation. Located so close to the world's busiest space center, which is also home to some of the few remaining acres of near pristine Florida habitat and biodiversity, Brevard zoo is planning on building the only aquarium along the I-95 corridor. Zoo director, Keith Winsten, hopes to tap in...

As we age, our DNA begins to show signs of degradation. Physiological mechanisms to protect and preserve DNA from the effects of internal or external factors such as environmental pollutants grow less effective. By studying age-related changes to DNA at specific sites conserved within and across species, scientists have developed epigenetic clocks which are strongly correlated with chronological a...

The past year has not been kind to manatees along the Florida coastline. While years of public educational programs and law enforcement seem to have stemmed the tide of animals killed by boat propeller strikes, a new and greater threat has emerged resulting in record manatee deaths. As a result of poor coastal water quality and clarity, the sea grasses that these gentle, slow moving herbivores rel...