Zoo Logic Dr. Grey Stafford

Lisa Niver was a successful teacher, traveler, and dive master turned award-winning travel writer, but privately things were not as they seemed. At the lowest point in her life and staring at starting over, she found the strength to free herself from an abusive marriage and set upon a path towards personal growth and healing. One strategy was to complete 50 challenges before her 50th birthday as described in her new book, Brave-ish: one breakup, six continents and feeling fearless after fifty.  She shares her experiences in eco-tourism, as well as, other adventures around the world and the importance of facing one's fears.
Animal Care Software

Long time zoo expert and media personality, Jarod Miller and his business partner Bob Manley have launched phase one of their pet services concept Hounds and Hops in his hometown of Buffalo, NY. In a city known for deep snowfalls and cold winters, their master plan includes the development of a covered outdoor dog-friendly green space, as well as, a spacious indoor dog park.  As part of the downtown area's revitalization, which includes redevelopment, jobs, and housing, Hounds and Hops will tap into the popularity of craft beers and wines to create a unique human and animal friendly space.
Animal Care Software

The oldest animal welfare organization in America, American Humane, has launched a new third party certification program consistent with its longstanding programs covering zoos, farming, and even the film and television industry. Announced a month ago, "Humane Tourism" is designed to certify "wildlife reserves, lodges, and tour operators for their humane responsibility toward the animal life that the operations may encounter and have the potential to impact."  As wildlife viewing vacations become increasingly popular, one goal of this new program is to provide well-meaning consumers the information needed to make conscientious choices about where to spend their wildlife tourism dollars. New SR VP & COO, Dr. Kashyap Choksi and Jill Nizan, Director, Conservation Operations discuss how the program was created and the potential global impact on ensuring wild animal welfare.
Animal Care Software

Co-founder of Mission K9 Rescue, Bob Bryant returns to discuss the organization's recent success and ongoing mission to return military and contract working dogs from their deployments around the world as the animal's tour of duty ends due to illness, age, or loss of work drive. In many instances MWD are reunited with their longtime human handlers but without any financial support from the US military. The situation with CWD isn't as simple as these animals typically have no dedicated handler, which is why rehabilitation and adoption funding by groups like MK9R is critical for this group of service dogs. With the recent drawn down in Afghanistan, MK9R worked with the Taliban through a third party rescue on the ground to evacuate several of nearly 50 Canadian dogs under US military control that remained after the US departure.
The circumstances around the laws and absent funding over the long term transport and post service care of these animals is complex and demands public intervention to ensure these canine service members receive the medical and behavioral care and best possible lives during their years of service and throughout their post service lives. While things have improved somewhat for those dogs classified as MWD, leaving any behind with no care or in the hands of our enemies (historically in Vietnam, MWD were euthanized or set to roam the jungles rather than returned to the US) as is the usual case with CWD is unacceptable.
Animal Care Software

We begin with long time zoo educator Lanie Angeles reminiscing  about her time at Moorpark College's Exotic Animal Training and Management Program and their recent 50th anniversary celebration. The lessons she learned there have helped her educate thousands of kids of all ages through animal outreach programs. She discusses the important and nearly universal impact that educational encounters with animals have on people of all ages, economic status, and walks of life. According to Lanie, ambassador animals are the "great leveler" turning even the most wealthy, famous or powerful people into inquisitive learners moved by the experience.
Animal Care Software
AtoZooEducation.com

Scientist and historian Dr. Danielle Clode returns to discuss her extraordinary 2002 book, Killers in Eden and the documentary that followed in 2004 that explored the unique cooperative relationship between a pod of orcas and their human whaling partners in a small coastal town in New South Wales. Building upon the historic relationship between the aboriginal Yuin people and the killer whale which are viewed as Yuin ancestors, beginning in the early 1800s, European whalers in the town of Eden spared the seasonally returning predators in favor of teaming with them to hunt migrating humpback, blue, and fin whales. Much like a pack of dogs, the orcas would roundup, wear down, and trap the passing massive baleen whales towards the waiting humans and their small boats in the bay. At night, the orcas would even swim towards the shore to slap their tail flukes and alert the whalers that prey was passing near. The improbable interspecies cooperation was based upon the "Law of the Tongue" in which humans would leave whale carcasses anchored in the bay so that the orcas could feed on the preferred baleen whale parts such as the lips and tongue. After a few days, the whalers would haul the rest of the whale to shore to harvest the blubber for whale oil. This unlikely cooperation lasted decades until the end of whaling in the early 20th century.
Animal Care Software