The Wild Enrichment Podcast

In this episode I am joined by Dr. Rhiannon Schultz. Rhiannon is the Project Manager and Welfare Consultant at Animal Welfare Expertise, and her background is incredibly diverse—spanning wildlife rehabilitation, certified dog training, and conservation research. She has recently completed her PhD at the University of Georgia, focusing on western lowland gorilla health, nutrition, and physiology. I...

In this episode I am joined by Ali Crumpacker, Executive Director of Project Chimps. We discuss the great work that is being done at The Project Chimps Chimpanzee Sanctuary, the unique challenges they face as well as some of the exciting plans they have for the future! Enjoy! Resources:  https://projectchimps.org/about/about-project-chimps/ https://www.instagram.com/projectchimps/ https://www.face...

Today on the Wild Enrichment Podcast, I’m honored to welcome Dr. Emma Lethbridge, a horse trainer, equine behaviour expert, and passionate advocate for science-based, ethical horsemanship. In this episode we discuss positive reinforcement in horse training, how to look holistically at equine husbandry to ensure optimal welfare and much more! Enjoy! Resources: Meller 5 domains  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm...

In this episode I am joined by Alan Toyne, former great ape keeper at Bristol Zoo and Author of the new book- Gorillas in our Midst: A Zookeeper’s Tale of Hand-Rearing Baby Gorillas. In this conversation we discuss the challenges and experiences associated with hand rearing two baby Gorillas as well as some of the other great experiences from Alan's keeping days. Enjoy! Resources:  https://www.the...

Today I am joined by Mark Kingston Jones and Chris Hales of Team Building with BITE. The discussion covered the impact of their team-building activities on corporate participants, the expansion of their business into enclosure design and construction ("bite builds"), and the importance of prototyping and risk-taking in creating enrichment devices. Key talking points also included the value of exte...

In this episode, I am joined by Sabrina Brando. Sabrina the director of Animal Concepts and is a world renowned consultant and animal care professional who helps organizations all over the world with all things wellbeing- human and animal. In this wide ranging conversation we talk about how Sabrina got into the industry, common themes and approaches to helping animal care organizations work togeth...

My guest today is Dr. Marion Desmarchelier, a veterinarian with a rare blend of expertise in both zoological medicine and animal behavior. After graduating from the Veterinary School of Lyon, Marion pursued advanced training and board certifications in zoological medicine and later in veterinary behavior, making her one of the few professionals dually certified in these fields. She’s worked across...

My guest today is Sharon Joseph. In this episode we talk about Sharons impressive career working at zoos across the United States from Zoo keeper to Vice President. We also discuss structuring animal welfare programs for institutions large and small. Enjoy!   Resources:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-joseph-300b32164/ sjoseph@birminghamzoo.com

In this episode I am joined by Daniel O'loughlin and Arun Benty of the Life Sciences Education Trust. We discuss a wide range of topics from animal care staff training to using AI to advance animal welfare practices. Enjoy! Resources: https://lifesciencetrust.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-o-loughlin-/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/abenty/ https://www.instagram.com/lifesciencetrust/?hl=en

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Fiona French, to discuss "Playful" technology and how it can be used to benefit animal welfare. We discuss several ways animal care staff can use technology in their animal welfare programs as well as several real world examples of how Fiona has used technology to enrich the lives of animals. Enjoy! Resources:  https://www.londonmet.ac.uk/profiles/staff/fiona-fr...

In this episode I am joined by Dr. Paul Rose. In this wide ranging conversation, we discuss topics such as ecologically relevant  husbandry, exhibit design as well as some of Paul's research in the field of animal welfare. Enjoy! Resources:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoopaul81/?originalSubdomain=uk https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paul-Rose-8 https://experts.exeter.ac.uk/21253-paul-rose http...

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Ricardo Lemos de Figueiredo of The Zoo Scientist. In this wide-ranging conversation, Ricardo and I talk about the importance of zoos in conservation, communicating science and using data from wild animals to help us make welfare decisions for animals in human care.  Resources: https://www.thezooscientist.com/ https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/5/4/44 https://www.lin...

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Kelly Jaakkola, Director of Research at the Dolphin Research Centre in Florida. In this wide-ranging discussion, we discuss animal cognition as well as why cognitive enrichment is so important and how it can be evaluated and implemented with a variety of animals.  Resources:  https://dolphins.org/pat_kj_bio https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kelly-Jaakkola htt...

In this episode I am joined by Daisy Barrett & Tess McKelliget who are the cohosts of the podcast "Trainer talks and tails", a podcast focusing on training, animal welfare and conservation science. We have a wide ranging conversation around how Tess and Daisy started their podcast, the future of training in the industry and much much more!  Resources:  Trainer Talks and Tails Daisy Barrett &am...

In this episode, I am joined by DR. Eszter Matrai, who is a senior research fellow at Ocean Park, Hong Kong. Dr. Matrai runs a lab at Ocean Park currently working with multiple marine and terrestrial species, focusing on activity monitoring, behavioural pattern analysis and the use of cognitive enrichments. In this episode, we talked about assessing, creating and implementing cognitive and coopera...

In this episode, I am joined by Kelsey Worth, an experienced zookeeper, leader and a great person to chat with! The main topic of discussion is emotional longevity in the animal care industry, with a focus on how to be happy long-term and become resilient for a long and successful career. I hope you enjoy!  Internal vs External Locus of control  https://wildenrichment.com/articles/learn-to-soar-de...

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Kylen Gartland who is the Manager of Applied Animal Welfare Science at the Centre for Zoo and Aquarium Animal Welfare and Ethics located at the Detroit Zoological Society. In this wide ranging conversation, we touched on creating effective systems to assess animal welfare, demystifying statistics and much more! Resources and links:  https://detroitzoo.org/anim...

In this episode, I am joined by Shane Gorbett, who sits on the board of directors of The ABMA and runs their podcast, Animal Behaviour Conversations: The Podcast of The ABMA. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about the importance of building relationships with the animals you work with and the power of positive reinforcement to change an animals life.  Check out Animal Behaviour Conversat...

In this episode I am joined by Elliot Carr, Sanctuaries and Rescue Centres Coalition Lead Coordinator at Asia For Animals Coalition. We talk about animal welfare issues across Asia and the World as well as some of the great companies on the front line of these issues. Enjoy! https://www.asiaforanimals.com/ https://www.smaccoalition.com/   https://www.asiaforanimals.com/news

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Jake Veasey, Director of Care for the Rare. In this wide-ranging conversation we talk about his company, Care for the Rare, the future of habitats for animals in human care, the interface between animal welfare and conservation as well as some insight into the future of welfare assessments. Enjoy! Resources: Website www.carefortherare.com Personal LinkedIn page...

In this episode, I am joined by Christine Dorchak and Carey Theil , co-authors of  Brooklyn Goes Home: The Rise and Fall of American Greyhound Racing and the Dog that Inspired a Movement , are the founders of the small non-profit organization GREY2K USA, where they led a coalition of ordinary dog lovers in fighting a multi-billion dollar gambling industry — and won. We talk about their new book, T...

In this episode, I sit down with Sarah Van Herpt, Senior Bear Team Manager at Animals Asia. Animals Asia is a company dedicated to ending bear bile farming and improving the welfare of animals across Asia. To accomplish this goal, Animals Asia has several bear sanctuaries for moon bears and sun bears they rehabilitate them from the horrors of the bear bile industry. In this conversation, Sarah and...

In this episode, I am joined by Nicky Plaskitt, an expert animal trainer and owner of Shaping Behaviour training consultancy. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about how Nicky started in the industry, using positive reinforcement to train raptors and what makes a training program successful.  Resources:  https://shapingbehaviour.com/   Nicky Plaskitt BSc (Hons), CPBT-KA, CPAT-KA's PostLin...

In this episode, I am joined by Gerry Creighton. Gerry is a second-generation zookeeper and former operations manager of the Dublin Zoo. Gerry now runs his own consultancy, Global Elephant Care Inc. and just released his new book "Raised by the Zoo: My Life with Elephants and Other Animals", a memoir of his experiences in over 30 years of working in zoos. Check out his book here: Raised by the Zoo...

In this episode, I sit down with Matthew Shackleton, a veterinary physiotherapist and former zookeeper. Matthew works with a wide variety of animals, exotic and domestic. In this conversation, we talk about Matthews's approach to physiotherapy in zoos, training and enrichment as therapy tools and how to support geriatric animals as they age. Resources:  https://www.shackletonvetphysio.com/about ht...