Zoo Logic with animal trainer, zoo advocate, and ZOOmility author, Dr. Grey Stafford, is a weekly conversation with zoo, aquarium, and animal experts about Nature, wildlife, pets, animal training with positive reinforcement, health and welfare, research, conservation, and education, sustainability, zoo politics, activism and legislation, and all things animals! On Zoo Logic, we’ll go behind the scenes with animal professionals and influencers from around the world to explore the latest Zoos ...
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A few weeks ago, Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences grabbed the world's attention when it announced the de-extinction of the Dire Wolf which last roamed the earth more than 12 thousand years ago, with the successful birth of three animals. Matt James, a long time zoo professional now serving as the company's Chief Animal Officer, discusses the s…
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ReBokeh: Fostering Visual Experience Inclusion
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30:46According to its founder, Rebecca Rosenberg who was born with low vision, the name ReBokeh is derived from a photography term "Bokeh," a technique in which all light sources are out of focus and blurred. Re-Bokeh then represents her organization's efforts to re-clarifying of what is out of focus. When this eventual bioengineer was 17 and looking fo…
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What is the Role of an Accreditation Organization?
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32:27We begin season 8 of Zoo Logic with a frank conversation with Dr. Jason Bruck and Billy Hurley about the proper role of accreditation organizations, as well as, their limitations. When an accredited institution stumbles or allegations of poor animal well-being are made, what is the responsibility of accrediting bodies to investigate, act, and infor…
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First time author Christine Mott has a forthcoming children's book entitled, Free Bird: Flaco the Owl's Dreams Take Flight by Lantern Publishing. The story for kids ages 4 to 8 is based on upon actual events surrounding the Eurasian Eagle Owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo. The story enthralled people from around the globe as Flaco was reco…
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While most North American zoological parks are still weeks away from the start of their summer high season, a few desert southwest facilities are already deep into their peak season. Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium and Safari Park president Kristy Hayden returns to discuss the latest additions to their collection including a baby giraffe and an all ne…
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Kristi Gravrock is a long time animal trainer having worked with dogs, horses, orcas, cats, dolphins and more. Her passion for training goes back to her early childhood pets before her first horse. Today, when she isn't competing in dressage, she uses her decades of experience with zoological species to train service dogs and mini horses. While the…
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It's our second installment talking with the management team at New England Aquarium following our recent three-day onsite visit with the pinniped and penguin department. With so much institutional and operant conditioning change affecting not only the animals' overall management through greater training and enrichment, but the employees' work expe…
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We are on location at the New England Aquarium talking with long time animal trainer and curator of pinnipeds and penguins, Kristen McMahon. Under her guidance, this unique department has successfully blended animal care providers from different taxa into one productive training team which has improved the social well-being of all the animals. Kris…
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Since he was a young boy, KONG company founder, Joe Markham has been fascinated with animals of every kind. He credits his German Shepherd, Fritz with providing him long ago the inspiration for the famous beehive shaped pet toy. His latest venture petKORE.com is a labor of love to produce training and enrichment devices suitable for underserved zoo…
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The new U.S. administration has put forth a slew of federal employee firings, funding freezes and cancellations, and agency reprioritizations since assuming office barely 1 month ago. One of the most notable moves has been the dismantling of USAID and a funding pause or in some instances, the elimination of the agency's projects to feed, educate, a…
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The Mississippi Aquarium in Gulfport recently announced the successful hatching of 2 endangered black-footed penguins. As a newer facility in a medium sized city, President and CEO Kurt Allen returns to discuss the State's historic hatchlings, the challenges of meeting public and financial expectations, and the importance of remaining adaptable to …
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The zoological community lost an important colleague recently with the passing of Jeff Andrews. First a long-time orca trainer and curator for SeaWorld, Jeff eventually took his talents to the terrestrial side to manage elephants. Not satisfied with the status quo of elephant management at that time, which was largely based on establishing a domina…
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With a new administration and one party control of both houses in Congress, the impact on animal-related legislation, facility oversight, and code enforcement is likely to change from the previous administration. Tom Albert, government affairs consultant for the Zoological Association of America discusses the differing historical perspectives of th…
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The animal and behavior training world lost a true revolutionary recently with the passing of Karen Pryor. Prolific writer, scientist, trainer, lecturer, and business woman with an entertainer's spirit, she changed the exotic and domestic animal training world forever with her ever popular book, Don't Shoot the Dog. She followed up her writing succ…
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Julia Wilder, Executive Director of ZDR3 (Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue, and Recovery) returns to discuss the unfolding fires in Los Angeles. While her team is not presently deployed on scene, they are coordinating help through local MOU members as was one of the original goals of the now 200 facility member strong group across nearly 40 sta…
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Director of Research for the Dolphin Research Center, Dr. Kelly Jaakkola returns to discuss her upcoming free webinar summarizing recent dolphin cognition studies hosted by the Dolphin Communication Project and her just published invited rebuttal to a paper in the journal Science about marmosets supposed use of individual names. Few species have be…
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With this first episode of Zoo Logic in the New Year, we hand this week's hosting duties over to our number one supporter and spouse of nearly 35 years, Karen Stafford to review key issues from the previous zoological year and the regular host's thoughts on the new podcast year ahead. Animal Care Software…
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On the heels of 2023's Secrets of the Octopus, award-winning and best-selling author, Sy Montgomery returns to discuss her latest title, What the Chicken Knows from Atria Books. As with all of her books about animals and Nature, Sy does her research. In this case much of her source material came from decades of raising, observing, and learning from…
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Jenna Palmisano is a doctoral student at the University of Central Florida tracking a parasitic tongue worm infecting nearly 2 dozen native species of snake, including the pygmy rattlesnake, and other ectotherms in central and southern Florida. While much is not known about this parasite, often referred to as a lung worm when it is actually a type …
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Latest Avian Flu Devastating Wild and Domestic Populations
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35:49Veterinary epidemiologist, Dr. Dominic Travis, Chief Programs Officer for the Marine Mammal Center returns to discuss the virulent and usually lethal strain of avian influenza affecting a variety of species, especially marine mammals. Given the COVID pandemic fatigue felt across society, it is important not to let our guard down about monitoring fo…
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Before You Burn That Bridge or Leave the Animal Field
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57:16As part of Zoo Logic's year-long look at the well-being of animal care professionals, we invited a very special guest with Human Resources expertise across all aspects of the employer-employee spectrum. Karen Stafford is an HR veteran of Fortune 500 corporate and non-profit organizations, as well as, a professor at the W.P. Carey School of Business…
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The marine mammal team at Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium and Safari Park met with K-9 law enforcement officers from Prescott Arizona at the park last month to talk and demonstrate animal training principles. This follows a long tradition over the past 25 years or more, set by other representatives from facilities such as the US Navy dolphin program a…
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Recently, the marine mammal team at Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas announced they had tracked and located a male spotted dolphin the facility had rescued, rehabilitated and returned to the ocean over 5 years ago under the auspices of the company's Blue Project Foundation. The successful return of this animal was due in large part to a series of f…
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Recently, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) announced a new primate ambassador policy that essentially curtails the practice of having closer contact between primates and the public. Primatologist, Dr. Samantha Russak, Chief of Welfare and Research for Tanganika Wildlife Park in Goddard Kansas joins Zoo Logic to discuss the new policy's d…
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Dr. Rick LeCouteur is a retired veterinary neurosurgeon originally from Australia. His new children's book entitled Nasty Names Are Hurtful: An Australian white ibis responds to name-calling in the city highlights the repercussions of human activities on wild habitats and underscores the importance of empathy and acceptance. Young readers will lear…
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Zoological Recovery From Helene and Milton
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37:07The Executive Director and co-founder of Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue and Recovery (ZDR3), Julia Wilder returns to discuss her organization's efforts to assist zoological facilities in the wake of back-to-back hurricanes, Helene and Milton. With nearly 200 USDA licensed animal facilities joined together to provide mutual aid to institutions…
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Retired Kent State University professor, researcher and administrator, Dr. James Blank joins his former graduate student to discuss the state of flux of higher education in America. How are changing demographics in a post pandemic era affecting university budgets and how are these institutions adapting to the rapid pace of change? In terms of the s…
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James Bradley, an award winning author of fiction has just released his latest title, a non-fiction book entitled Deep Water: the world in the ocean. It is a "blend of history, nature writing, and environmental science" giving readers insights into the mysteries of the ocean and "humanity's complex connections to the seas." In one passage, James de…
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Long time zoo and aquarium educator, Terran McGinnis discusses her passion for informal education from her earliest days as a park naturalist. From great storytelling to laughter, she describes some of the most effective ways to reach audiences of all ages. As she steps down from chairing the education committee for the Alliance of Marine Mammal Pa…
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This October marks the Animal Behavior Management Alliance's (ABMA) fourth annual Behavior Month featuring daily animal training videos from zoological professionals from around the globe. The goal is to share training ideas and examples to enhance species' well-being in zoos, aquariums, as well as with companion animals. These contributions are av…
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According to American Humane and its leadership team, the newly released sequel to 2020's award-winning "Escape from Extinction," introduces the science of "rewilding," a proven method for sustainable conservation that has the potential to bring back hundreds of thousands of species from the brink of extinction. Dr. Robin Ganzert, President and CEO…
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Peter Giljam is a long time animal trainer and cofounder of the training resources website Zoospensefull.com. In his spare time from his role as Behavioral Curator at SeaWorld Australia, he's also developed into an avid triathlon athlete. We asked him about his physical and mental health journey since COVID and whether the pain, frustration, dedica…
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Jim Nemet is a long time marine and terrestrial animal trainer and serves as the Director of Wildlife for the Cleveland Natural History Museum. We asked him about the somewhat dated and artificial distinctions between training and enrichment, especially at a time when zoological facilities are increasingly concerned about improving animal welfare o…
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Dr. Jason Bruck and his collaborator, Dr. Jamey D. Jacob, School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at Oklahoma Sate University describe their efforts to develop a suitable drone platform to study small cetaceans in the wild. Known as PHASM, Passive Health Assessment in Sea Mammals, the team has already worked through several iterations of the e…
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The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium announced the significant birth of several weedy seadragons. It is the first successful birth of these uncommon animals at Columbus, one of only a handful of institutions that have successfully bred seadragons. Senior Aquarist Aaron Jeskie, who was instrumental in the successful outcome, describes these unique creature…
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Jasmin Graham describes her unique path as a shark scientist at Mote Marine Lab and Aquarium, as well as, her efforts to increase diversity among the biological sciences, especially in marine science. She's also the president and CEO of Minorities In Shark Sciences (MISS), an organization dedicated to "see representation of gender minorities from h…
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Dr. Jeremy Goodman President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium returns to discuss the organization's rural 1000 acre offsite conservation center. Originally acquired to facilitate African elephant breeding and closed to the public, the International Conservation Center (ICC) has added a few additional species and developed educational prog…
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In 2021, Dr. Jeremy Goodman succeeded long time leader Dr. Barbara Baker to become the president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the US. Following years working as a clinician, Dr. Goodman elected to change his professional focus to serve as chief administrator of several other zoological inst…
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Cannabis for Companion, Farm and Exotic Animals
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37:17Dr. Tim Shu is the founder and CEO of VetCBD, a California based company that specializes in cannabis products for domestic, farm and zoological animals. As the legal cannabis industry for humans and animals grows across the US, state by state, the public has many questions as to the safety and efficacy of extracts like CBD or full spectrum product…
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Troy Hayden has been a journalist and TV news anchor for over 35 years. We asked for his perspective concerning the news industry's views on zoos and aquariums and whether a reporter's approach varies if the names "sanctuary" or "rescue" are attached. Troy admits to being a fan of zoos as a kid but admitted major controversies like that portrayed i…
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Shelley Ballmann is the force behind Ocean Futures and its nonprofit wing, Ocean Connections. Starting her career as a dolphin trainer, Shelley earned her niche working with pinnipeds at a time when everyone was more focused on cetaceans like bottlenose dolphins and orcas. She believes that training sea lions truly hones one's skill as a trainer in…
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Hurricane Beryl's effect on the Texas power grid still being felt by millions of people reminds us all that natural disasters like wind, fire, or flood can can occur anywhere with devastating consequences. Fortunately the team at Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue and Recovery (ZDR3) has experience helping facilities plan for and if needed, respo…
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Operation Beluga Rescue: Ukraine to Spain
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31:52Dennis Christen, Senior Director, Animal Wellbeing & Behavior for the Georgia Aquarium was one of the architects that helped move two beluga whales from the NEMO Dolphinarium in Putin-ravaged Ukraine to the safety of Europe's largest aquarium, Oceanographic, in Valencia, Spain. This story made international headlines recently and involved a host of…
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Ischia: Nature's Laboratory for Ocean Acidification
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37:38Growing up on the beautiful Italian island of Ischia 19 miles off the coast of Naples, Dr. Valerio Mazzella of the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Napoli grew to love the ecosystem's unique features and species. As a natural source of thermal and pH gradients due to the region's secondary volcanism, which gives rise to carbon dioxide vents, Ischia a…
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How to Win Celebrity Friends and Influence Hollywood
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33:42Best selling author, Emmy winning actor, and fierce animal advocate, Carolyn Hennesy returns to discuss her recent comments at the annual meeting of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA) about how zoos and aquariums can begin to build better relationships with entertainers and influencers. In many instances, entertainers and tho…
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Are Zoos Still in the Conservation Business?
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30:36Long time zoological statistician and animal manager, Kevin Willis, returns to discuss dolphin demographics and other mathematical insights into current species populations in human care. The overall population of dolphins in facilities looks promising, but Kevin warns this view is not reality since the animals are not actually maintained as one bu…
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The team from GRAZE (Growing Resiliency for Aquarium and Zoo Employees) Erin McNally and Hannah Fullmer return to discuss a widespread problem in most fields, including the zoological profession. While not unique to animal facilities, bullying takes a tremendous toll on an already beleaguered workforce. If social media content is to be believed, yo…
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Saving and Enriching Lives Through Scent Work
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33:33Long time animal trainer and consultant, Jade Fountain from Animal Behavior Matters returns to discuss her latest work in East Africa with a global organization called APOPO (Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling”, or in English, Anti-Personnel Landmines Detection Product Development. For the past 25 years, APOPO has been utilizing A…
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Latest Avian Flu Strain Poses Lethal Risk to Marine Mammals
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16:39Dr. Jay Sweeney, cofounder of Dolphin Quest, returns to discuss the latest strain of avian flu making its way across the globe with lethal effects. It was an avian flu strain that caused the global pandemic in 1918 that killed tens of millions of humans. The current strain H5N5 seems to be mild in infected dairy cows and humans but it has caused th…
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Dr. Terrie Williams, long time UC Santa Cruz wildlife researcher interested in species energetics returns to discuss the race against geometric levels of extinction. We are losing species at pace well above the normal background rates. Her mission is to gather basic bioenergetic data to help inform regulators, lawmakers, and industry about the pote…
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