INTERBEING by AnimalConcepts

Craig Saffoe is the Curator of Large Carnivores at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park located in Washington DC. Overall, he has over 27 years working with animals within zoos.

Craig started his career thinking that the only career available in the animal industry, is to become a veterinarian. As such he went to get a degree in Animal Science with a pre-vet track at North Carolina State University.  Whilst there he was inspired by a single professor to explore animal husbandry careers. She also helped him to get an internship at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Zoo in 1994. From here, he got hired as an animal keeper and moved through the ranks becoming a curator. Throughout this process, Craig says he “cannot stress enough to the people with whom I work that the most fun part of this career field in my mind is that I feel like I have never stopped learning”.

Craig highlights that during his career he has noticed that the zoological and aquatic industry has minimum ethnic minority representation. He observed that black people are perceived as volunteers through an unconscious bias. He even noticed it in himself when observing others whilst at a conference, which mortified him. Craig said it was this moment that seeded the origins of the Association of Minority Zoo and Aquarium Professionals (AMZAP).

Craig goes on to say that although COVID-19 has caused a lot of devastation, it gave him time to develop AMZAP further as the zoo was closed down. It also allowed him to drum up more support among different zoo professionals including the deputy director of the Smithsonian National Zoo and the Secretary of the Smithsonian, which gave him confidence with his idea. From here, for Craig, ‘I’ became ‘we’. It allowed him to move the idea of AMZAP forward.

Craig divulges the importance of remembering that ‘We Weren’t the First’, by sharing the stories of those who paved the way for the racial and ethnic minorities within the zoological industry. He emphasises that they must have faced so much just getting into the field. They can act as inspirations, encouraging others to express their heritage and be comfortable in themselves to climb the career ladder. AMZAP aims to give advice and tools to help achieve this, in the form of resources and a professional mentor. These mentors are from accredited zoos, aquariums and sanctuaries, which are selected from AMZAPs professional memberships. He further reveals that you do not have to be working in an accredited establishment or be a minority to be an affiliate member. Additionally, AMZAP gains support from organisations by allowing their staff to participate, which in turn gives AMZAP traction.

Craig concludes by saying that it became apparent that AMZAP was working when he received an email from a retired black female animal keeper thanking him for establishing AMZAP, wishing that it was present when she was a keeper. 

Learn more about the Association of Minority Zoo and Aquarium Professionals HERE

Learn more about “We Weren’t The First” HERE

Learn more about AnimalConcepts supporting AMZAP HERE

Become a member of PAWS HERE

Luke Harding is the Blue Iguana Conservation Programme Manager at the National Trust for the Cayman Islands. He is a conservation biologist with over 14 years of experience in the conservation sector. 

Luke shares with us how his family and early life experiences kindled his particular interest in the conservation breeding and captive management of amphibians and reptiles. Critically, he references his BTEC at Sparsholt College Hampshire as key in kindling his passion for animals.  Furthermore, he participated in a two-week work experience at Chester Zoo which increased his passion for Herpetology.  

Luke went on to get a degree in Zoology / Animal Biology at Nottingham Trent University, which he completed whilst working in the industry to gain more experience. In doing so, Luke has worked within some of the some of the largest zoos in the UK and gained extensive in situ field experience with flag ship species such as the Mountain Chicken Frog (Leptodactylus fallax) and Golden Mantella Frog (Mantella aurantiaca).  

Luke highlights that in situ research shows “the more we think we know, the less we turn out we know”. This indicates the importance of evidence-based husbandry in captive environments, to promote a high standard of welfare for the animals. Similarly, for critically endangered species, ex situ research can inform in situ conservation strategies as most knowledge comes from animals in human care. Luke noted the Mountain Chicken Frog as a key example. As such, Luke and Sabrina discuss the importance of collaboration. 

Luke introduces us to his current work managing the conservation of the Grand Cayman Blue Iguana (Cyclura lewisi). He highlights how the Blue Iguana can be used as a symbol of conservation optimism, as the species went from less than 25 to over 1000 in 19 years. He does however emphasise that breeding is not a quick fix, and the threats need to be addressed. This requires cooperation with the locals, here Luke introduces various educational efforts and activities people engage in, and why an appreciation for the native species is important. 

Luke reveals the newly constructed Blue Iguana facility, and how evidence-based practice strongly influenced its design, and in turn how the ‘wild’ environment design has affected the enclosed Blue Iguana’s welfare across a 24/7 period. He also describes how the keeper’s workday addresses this 24/7 concept. 

Luke also addresses how individual personalities can be used in Blue Iguana conservation strategies, such as to determine individual release suitability and mating compatibility. 

Luke concludes by saying, find those moments that make it all worthwhile, as that will help maintain passion and enthusiasm when times are hard.  

Learn about the Blue Iguana Conservation programme and how you can get involved HERE 

Learn more about the Blue Iguana Garden scheme HERE 

Learn more about the 24/7 approach HERE 

Become a member of PAWS now HERE 

Jon has almost 60 decades of experience, and completed over one hundred sixty planning and design projects for eighty-two zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, theme parks, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in thirteen nations on six continents.

Jon shares with us about how fighting elephants at Boston Zoo sparked his thesis idea which would be on Artificial Habitats for Captive Animals. After receiving his undergraduate degree and his master’s degree, it still took Jon 7 years before getting his first project. Jon’s first project was working with Jones & Jones in Seattle, between 1973 – 1983. Together they invented the landscape immersion design at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle with the idea being ‘back to nature’.

Jon went on to found CLR design in Philadelphia, from 1984 – 2004. CLR Design allowed the client to choose the subject of innovation while creating projects and designs. Jon highlights how they work FOR animals WITH people. 

In 2004 Jon founded Jon Coe Design, and gives us in depth insights on the projects, including cutting-edge ideas for other firms to develop. A few of many other projects they have completed are Zoos Victoria, Sea World Gold Coast, Bali Safari & Marine Park, Singapore and Kabul Zoo in Afghanistan.

Jon tells us how combined Jones & Jones and CLR design have gained 13 American Zoo & Aquarium Exhibit Awards all while in the USA. Jon highlights a few projects he has completed such as at Louisville Zoo, Zoo Atlanta and how they use animal rotation and activity-based design to design the enclosures. This also includes Treetop Trails Philadelphia with overhead animal trail systems so they move across the zoo freely.

Jon explains the 5 C’s and how it branches from the UK’s 5 freedoms. He tells us that the C’s stand for the animal’s right to: Choice, Control, Complexity and Change to achieve Competence. Jon also shares with us how proper environmental enrichment is the toolbox for achieving behavioural, physical and intellectual competence for animals in human care.

Jon shares with us at the end about his poems and sketches that can be found on his website and how they all started and make him feel. Jon gives a quick insight into collaborative work with Sabrina Brando on the back of house areas in zoos, and a more in-depth webinar on the PAWS platform in June 2021.

Jon ends the podcast with leaving us a closing message and answering the question what the message is, and how in an ideal world how he would reinvent the enclosures in zoos.

View Jon Coe Design website HERE

Read all papers by Jon Coe HERE

View Jon’s Research Gate HERE

View all sketches and poems HERE

Watch the latest webinar between Jon and Sabrina HERE

Become a PAWS member HERE

Jan van Hooff was born in a zoo in 1936. He grew up in Burgers’ Zoo, founded and named after his grandfather Johan Burgers. His grandfather was a butcher and in the meat trade, and also an avid collector of pheasants. Jan shared how the zoo grew as other animals were added to the pheasant collection, like boars, deer and a rescued bear. He also shares some operational details and approaches to zoos in the Netherlands and other European cities in the early 19th century.

Jan shares how his grandfather would travel to Germany for his trade and how I came in contact with the work of Karl Hagenbeck in Hamburg, the winter quarters of the circus animals as displays without bars but using ditches and other barriers that allowed for containment as well as unobstructed viewing. He was fascinated by this design and in 1913 in Arnhem Burgers’ Zoo opened. 

Jan shares how his father and mother met, and how his father was a big animal friend, and how he grows up with all the animals in the zoo, also caring for puppies hunting dogs. 

On the 10th of May 1940 Jan shares his memories of the start of the WWII, at first the war was far away, and then how the war came closer and closer, starting one of the most difficult periods in the zoo and how they cared as best as possible for the animals until the war was over.  

Jan shares how he started studying biology at the University of Biology. He wanted to study zoology and animal behaviour and inspired by Darwin’s books including facial expressions, emotions, and principles of antithesis. Jan shares how his connection with a drill shaped his career and study interests. He shares how he became interested in ethology and studying with Niko Tinbergen and what he will share in his next podcast. 

Learn more about Jan van Hooff HERE

Become a member of PAWS HERE

Listen to the podcast on your favourite player or head straight to Buzzsprout HERE

Dr Amy Plowman who is the head of conservation with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, is part of the European Nutrition Group, and was at the Paignton Zoo and Wild Planet Trust for over 2 decades.

Amy shares how she came to study animal nutrition and remarks on the importance of diets in promoting optimal welfare. She gives some practical examples of nutritional problems and how she started looking at sugars and carbohydrates in the animal’s diets.

Amy explains different types of nutrients and deepens the conservation by sharing about the diverse adaptations for digestion in different types of animals. She talks about the cultivated food grown for humans than in most zoos is given to the animals due to availability and otherwise high costs and challenges accessing certain foods year-round. Amy discusses diseases related to certain diets and some solutions.

Amy shares a variety of her research on nutrition, as well as the use of thermal cameras and conservation, sharing on also on the prevalence of obesity, stereotypic behaviours, and behavioural effects of types of diets.

Sabrina and Amy discuss the challenges of zoo nutrition and also pellets and other prepared diets. She mentions the improvements in behaviour thanks to changes in diets, and solutions to the problems found.

Amy talks about the importance of collaboration in the nutrition field between academics, vets, feed companies, and others, and concludes with a funny story of animals mating.

Learn more about Amy’s research HERE

Learn more about the Bumblebee Conservation Trust HERE

Become a member of PAWS HERE

Suzy Deurinck is from the Netherlands and is the owner of the horse consultancy company Deurinck Paardengedrag & Welzijn (horse behaviour and welfare).

 Suzy shares she is not as the typical horse lady. She tells us how she started being interested in horses, talks about her academic career and her MSc in Animal Science, wanting to help changing the odd training methods in horses. 

 Suzy introduces her thesis work in dog training and welfare, and how head and neck posture affecting horse welfare. She talks about her data collection and her research findings. 

 Suzy brings a nice story of a magical connection with Joy, a horse she care for very much, and gives some other examples of connection between animals and humans. 

 Suzy talks about her work running the consulting company, analyzing training videos, facial expressions, and other horse behaviours, trying to help and guide people in everyday situations and social skills, and the use of positive reinforcement. Suzy explains some misconceptions in horse training, caring and riding.  

Sabrina and Suzy discuss horse welfare seminar they worked on together, including the adaptation of a related 24/7 horse welfare workshop, preferences in horses, and the importance of choice and control, and some practical examples such as a semi-autonomous stable design. 

Suzy shares information about a training program she is developing for horse professionals and concludes the podcast with a nice story of her guinea pig, enjoying time together. 

Read more about her consultancy company and contact Suzy HERE

Become a member of PAWS HERE

Geoff Hosey is an Honorary professor at the University of Bolton in the UK. His experience of undertaking research and supervising students has mostly been in behavioural biology, animal welfare and primatology, and he is still involved in research on zoo animal welfare, particularly about human-animal relationships in the zoo.

Geoff shares how he started studying animals and animal welfare and explains what behavioural biology is. He suggests new students to starting an academic career to do research in this field and encourages zoos and other animal facilities to do more research in general.

Geoff shares aspects of his academic work, which he mostly conducted at Bolton University, teaching behavioural biology and supervising many different research projects on wild and captive animals across a variety of species. Geoff talks about his work comparing behaviours of wild lemurs in Madagascar and in captivity and he shares some nice primate stories.

He shares insights from the studies of the human-animal interaction conducted, the different effects of zoo visitors on animal behaviour, and the importance of good records to shed light on these interactions. Geoff discusses with Sabrina their shared research on marine mammals in captivity and his books Zoo Animals and Anthrozoology. To conclude, he shares a research story about racing cockroaches.

Download the BIAZA Research Handbook HERE

Find his book “Zoo Animals: Behaviour, Management and Welfare” HERE & “Anthrozoology: Human-Animal Interactions in Domesticated and Wild Animals” HERE

Become a member of PAWS HERE

Sarah van Herpt is a senior bear team manager at Animals Asia in Vietnam, and she shares the work Animals Asia is doing and how they are working to improve the welfare of animals in captivity. In addition, they are working towards ending the dog-meat trade and ending bear farming.

Sarah shares with us the daily routine of observation, feeding, and enrichment with the bears at the sanctuary. She explains all about the dens and bear houses in the facilities, the choice the bears have, and open access for the animals.

Sarah talks about different behaviours at night, sleeping habits, secret friendships, and the different personalities the bears have and helps us understand what a happy bear looks like and how they mimic the faces of others when playing. She explains the different types of friendships found in the groups.

Sarah provides some background on sun bears and moon bears, differences in biology, and care in captivity. She speaks about the interaction between them, the introduction to the groups, and the process of healing. Sarah concludes the podcast with some beautiful bear enrichment stories.

Learn more about Animals Asia HERE or on Facebook

Become a member of PAWS HERE

Dr Steve Unwin, Lecturer in Biosystems and Environmental Change at the University of Birmingham School of Biosciences in the UK, is a European specialist in Zoo Health Management. 

Steve starts introducing how he became into the field of veterinary science and conservation, his work in zoos and other facilities and his time as a veterinary officer and clinical manager at Chester Zoo. Steve thinks that conservation is not about animals, is but about people, and he highlights the importance of storytelling for conservation purposes.

Steve shares his involvement with the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance veterinary programme, through which he also worked together with Sabrina. Steve is not only working with African primates but also with orangutans through the Orangutan Veterinary Advisory Group. He remarks on the importance of capacity building of local primate and wildlife veterinarians, scientists and conservation managers.

Steve explains the differences between the One Health and the One Welfare approach and how it is key to work as an extensive network together. Sabrina and Steve discuss about the need for collaboration between veterinarians and other animal welfare or behaviour experts to get the best for the animals, and their interest in human wellbeing, the wellbeing of people caring for animals and its interconnectedness.

Steve finishes with a story about animals being released back into the wild and one of his first surgery where he learned an important and lifelong message.

Learn more about PASA HERE

Learn more about OVAG HERE

Learn more about One Health and One Welfare HERE 

Become a member of PAWS HERE