Atlanta 2017: Where Talent Meets Inspiration

Welcome to Atlanta Pg 3 Sponsors Pg 4 Going Green in Atlanta Pg 5 Things to do in Atlanta Pg 6 Conference Committee Members Pg 7 IAATE Board Pg 7 Your Zoo Atlanta Hosts Pg 8 General Conference Information Pg 9 Conference Schedule Pg 11 Pre-Conference Information Pg 15 Ice Breaker Pg 18 Evening Workshops- FULL Pg 19 Zoo Workshops - FULL Pg 23 Zoo Day Schedule Pg 25 Zoo Day Map Pg 26 The Banquet Pg 27 Paper Abstracts and Presenter Bios Pg 28 Poster Abstracts and Presenter Bios Pg 39 Welcome to Atlanta, GA!

We are so excited to have the opportunity to host the IAATE annual conference, where the bird training community comes together to show off what we’ve been up to over the past year. We can’t wait to see what the week has in store as we share our talent and inspire one another to do even better for our birds and audiences!

To quote Maya Angelou, “When we know better, we do better!!”

If you’re landing in Atlanta for a pre-conference activity you’ll have a blast and learn a lot, whether you’re in Steve Martin’s Training Workshop or spending the day downtown exploring the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coke, and other local attractions.

We hope everyone can make it to the Icebreaker. We’ll be treated to a spectacular performance by some of Zoo Atlanta’s Improvisers and their troop. You’ll get to your try your hand at some improv games. Throughout the icebreaker we’ll be drawing raffle tickets for some great behind-the- scenes tour opportunities that can be used during Zoo Day, so bring some cash to support conservation!

Be sure to catch all the presentations and posters, keynote speaker, and do some informal learning in the hospitality suite each evening. Those of you signed up for our workshops on Thursday evening, Friday morning, or Friday evening are in for even more wonderful learning opportunities and of course we hope to see everyone at the Banquet on Saturday night where we’ll learn who wins the High Flyer award as well as the Behavior of the Year awards, and where we’re conferencing in 2018!

Thanks for Joining Us! -The Birds and Program Animals Team at Zoo Atlanta 2017 Conference Sponsors Eagle Conservator: $1000+

Falcon Friend: $500+

Owl Enthusiast: $250+ Critter Companions by Kenny Coogan Dolphin Research Center Training Institute Coughlan Companies Parrot Pal: $100+ WITHit Teacher Institute of Evolutionary Science Desert Plastics Going GREEN in ATLANTA Paperless (well…paper reduced) Reduce your Carbon Footprint:

• No printed Programs! • If leaving the hotel, see if you can fill the • No feedback cards! Look for a survey to shuttle before you leave or share cabs/ubers. come your way so we can get your • Hang your towels up after you use them. electronic feedback after the conference Hotels take that as clear communication that • We encourage you to take notes on your you’re happy to use it again. phone or computer • Hang your ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door • Take photos of posters rather than and housekeeping won’t replace your sheets grabbing a flier OR your towels. • Use a re-usable coffee cup if you’ve • Just like at home, turn off the lights and TV brought one! when you leave the room. • Recycle bottles and cans from the hospitality suite. • If you didn’t bring your own, take any partially used hotel toiletries and re-use or recycle the bottles, once they are empty.

Eating GREEN in ATLANTA There are GREAT local eateries that buy locally sourced meats and produce then turn them into deliciousness. There are also a TON of vegetarian and vegan options around town. If you’re looking for some great green food within shuttle distance of the hotel try:

Gun Show

Shed

A little farther out you can find:

Serpas True Food

Radial One Eared Stag General ATLANTA Information The FREE Ramada shuttle can get you to: FOOD • Mi Barrio – Traditional Mexican • Krog Street Market – Food Hall • Ria’s Bluebird – Brunch • Daddy Dz – Great BBQ • Fox Brother’s BBQ (3mi away) – ATL’s BEST BBQ • The Flying Biscuit BARS Hipster? • East Atlanta – visit the EARL or if its after 11pm try 529 Chill, but not a hipster? • Glenwood – Vickery’s • East Atlanta – Midway or Argosy (Both have a HUGE beer list) Want Loud? • East Atlanta – the Graveyard Classy? • Downtown- The Bar at the Sundial IMPROV • The Village Theater HISTORY • Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site – free but daytime hours only Thursday Night is a great night to head to the Argosy in East Atlanta Uber’s are about $10 and fares can be split Cool places outside shuttle range:

• Ponce City Market: Food hall. HUGE. Mini golf and other fun stuff on the roof for extra $ • Leon’s: Make’s their own sausage – good charcuterie • Wats Crackin’: Garlic crab and shrimp. Delicious and cheap (so there’s a wait) and no seating • 10 High: Live Band Karaoke Thurs-Sat at 10:30pm • The Porter: HUGE beer list. Lots of bottles of weird things • Clermont Lounge: It’s an Atlanta staple but don’t go there unless you know what you’re getting yourself into • Opera Night Club: It’s a club. • Midtown Arts: Movie Theater with artsy/indy movies • Atlantic Station: Outdoor mall with movie theater that plays regular movies • The Center for Puppetry Arts: No really, it’s pretty neat! • The High Museum Your Conference Committee

Helen Dishaw Cassie Malina

Rebecca Bearman James Ballance

Christina Lavallee Lyndsay Newton

Christine Talleda Kit Lacy

Steven Martin Dave Miller

Catherine Vine Miguel Santos Your IAATE Board Robin Shewokis President Helen Dishaw Vice President Miguel Santos Past President Erin Kaztner President-Elect Melinda Mendolusky Secretary

Cassie Malina Chief Financial Officer Steve Martin Board Member Kit Lacy Board Member Dave Miller Board Member Arianna Bailey Board Member Mike Billington Board Member Your Zoo Atlanta Hosts

Rebecca Bearman Assistant Curator Birds and Program Animals Christina Lavallee Lead Keeper Program Animals

James Ballance Curator Birds and Program Animals

Emily Bobal Lyndsay Newton Keeper I Keeper III Program Animals Program Animals

Deidre Ousterhout Keeper II Program Animals

Justin Eckelberry Christine Tallleda Keeper II Lead Keeper Program Animals Birds General Conference Information Name Badge Symbols Hotel Info Full Day Course for Bird Trainers and Show Presenters Ramada Plaza Atlanta Capitol Park Georgia Aquarium Trip 450 Capitol Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30312 Ice Breaker 1-404-591-2000 Educating the Flock- THURS Free continental breakfast. Free WiFi in guest rooms and Engaging Enrichment - THURS meeting space. Free hotel shuttle within 3-miles Personal Passion and the Perfect Presentation - THURS of hotel. Perching for Health and Welfare Registration Table Hotel Lobby Raptor Care Tuesday, Feb 21 - 2:00pm-6:00pm Wednesday, Feb 22 - 8:00am- Educating the Flock- FRI 5:00pm Engaging Enrichment - FRI Piedmont Ballroom Thursday, Feb 23 – 8:00a-5:00p Personal Passion and the Perfect Presentation - FRI Saturday, Feb 25 – 8:00a-5:00p

Hospitality Suite Located in the hotel in Spring & Monroe, this is a great place to unwind after a long day. Catch up with old friends and make some new ones! Meal items will be available for purchase during lunch/Dinner times. Posters will be on display here too! Hours: Wednesday, Feb 22 – 10pm-2am Thursday, Feb 23 – Noon-2pm, 5:00-6:30pm, and 7pm-2am Raffle Friday, Feb 24 – 5:00-6:30pm and 7pm-2am We’re hoping to make 2017 a great year Saturday, Feb 25 – Noon-1:30pm and 10pm-2am for fund raising! There will be raffles during the Icebreaker for BTS tours during Zoo Attention CPBT-KA! Earn CEU's Day, like feeding a Panda or Aldabra Tortoise! Throughout the conference you Credits available are as follows: can buy tickets for our General and IAATE Annual Conference – 10.5 CEUs Conservation raffles – proceeds of which go Workshops: to fund our education and conservation Full Day Course for Bird Trainers and Show Presenters - 8 CEUs grants! If you’ve brought anything to Educating the Flock – 3 CEUs donate to the raffle please drop off your Engaging Enrichment – 3 CEUs items at the registration table. Personal Passion and the Perfect Presentation – 2 CEUs Perching for Health and Welfare– 2 CEUs Raptor Care – 2 CEUs You will need to provide signed proof of attendance to IATCB to get these credits. Workshop leaders will have forms at any of the workshops you attend, and can sign them for you. Our Vice President can sign any general conference forms, available at the registration table. CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Tue 2/21 6:30a-11:00a Complimentary Continental Breakfast Rockfish Grille 8:00a-5:00p Board Meeting Courtland 2:00p-6:00p Registration Hotel Lobby Wed 2/22 6:30a-11:00a Complimentary Continental Breakfast Rockfish Grille 8:00a-5:00p Registration Hotel Lobby PRE-CONF WORKSHOP: A Comprehensive Course for Bird Spring & Monroe 8:00a-5:00p Trainers and Show Presenters Steve Martin CPBT-KA, Natural Encounters, Inc. Meet in hotel lobby for Pre-trip 9:45a Hotel Lobby Buses leave at 10:00am 10:00a-4:00p PRE-CONF TRIP: Georgia Aquarium and World of Coke 12:00p-2:00p LUNCH BREAK (for workshop attendees) Meet for pick-up at intersection of Luckie St and Baker St 4:00p Use Ramada’s free shuttle service for pickup earlier or later 6:00p-10:00p Icebreaker at hotel Piedmont Ballroom 10:00p-2:00a Hospitality Suite Open Spring & Monroe Thurs 2/23 6:30a-11:00a Complimentary Continental Breakfast Rockfish Grille 8:00a-5:00p Registration Piedmont Ballroom 8:30a-5:00p PRESENTATIONS Piedmont Ballroom 8:30a-8:40a Welcome: Robin Shewokis, IAATE President 8:40a-8:50a Schedule Review: Helen Dishaw, IAATE VP Facility Head Address: 8:50a-9:00a Jennifer Mickelberg, PhD, Senior Director of Collections and Conservation, Zoo Atlanta KEYNOTE SPEAKER: 9:00a-10:00a Chris Parrish, The Peregrine Fund 10:00a-10:15a BREAK 10:15a-10:30a IAATE History and 25th Anniversary – Steve Martin, NEI Antecedent Arrangements: A Trainer’s Best Friend 10:30a-11:00a Matt Edmonds, Wonders of Nature The Evolution of Control for our Striated Caracara 11:00a-11:30a Nicky Plaskitt, CPBT-KA, Paradise Wildlife Park CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Selection Process for Non-Releasable Birds: 11:30a-12:00p The First Step in Bird Welfare Kit Lacy, Education Director - Cascades Raptor Center 12:00p-2:00p LUNCH BREAK 12:00p-2:00p Hospitality Suite Open Spring & Monroe 12:30p-1:30p POSTER VIEWING Q&A Spring & Monroe Captive Management Issues Involving Birds of Prey 2:00p-3:00p David Scott, DVM. Staff veterinarian, Carolina Raptor Center, Charlotte, NC 3:15p-3:30p BREAK The Importance of Relationships 3:30p-4:00p Justin Eckelberry, Birds and Program Animals Keeper II, Zoo Atlanta The Peruvian Amazon: My Personal Journey into the Rainforest 4:00p-4:30p and the National Aviary’s Deep Connection with my Experience Kelly Pollard, National Aviary The Art and Creation of Interactive Experiences in a Free-Flight 4:30p-5:00p Aviary: Let’s Do This Together! Dave Miller, Disney’s Animal Kingdom 5:00p-6:30p DINNER BREAK Workshop 1: Personal Passion and the Perfect Presentation 6:30p-8:30p Ponce I Chris Jenkins CPBT-KA, Natural Encounters, Inc. Workshop 2: Educating the Flock 6:30p-9:30p Ponce II Mike Billington CPBT-KA, and Kenny Coogan CPBT-KA Workshop 3: Engaging Enrichment 6:30p-9:30p Ponce III Robin Shewokis, and Dave Miller, Disney’s Animal KIngdom 7:00p-2:00a Hospitality Suite Open Spring & Monroe Fri 2/24 6:30a-11:00a Complimentary Continental Breakfast Rockfish Grille Meet for Zoo Day 8:30a-8:45a Hotel Lobby Buses leave at 8:45a 9:00a-5:00p ZOO DAY Zoo Atlanta Meet for Group Photo World of Wild 9:15a-9:30a See Zoo Day Schedule for BTS and Bird Show times Theater Workshop 1: Raptor Care : Restraint and Basic Coping Skills Rebecca Bearman, Zoo Atlanta, Cassie Malina CPBT-KA, Techlab – Zoo 9:30a-11:30a Natural Encounters, Inc., Kathryn Dudeck, Chattahoochee Atlanta Nature Center CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Workshop 2: Perching for Health and Welfare Ford Conference 9:30a-11:30a James Balance and Andy Clement, Zoo Atlanta Room – Zoo Atlanta OPEN BOARD MEETING Ford Conference 12:00p-1:30p Lunch provided by Zoo Atlanta Room – Zoo Atlanta Meet for bus back to hotel - Last bus leaves at 5:30p Circle Drive – Zoo 4:30p-5:30p Utilize Free Ramada Shuttle to leave earlier Atlanta 5:00p-6:30p DINNER BREAK

Workshop 1: Personal Passion and the Perfect Presentation 6:30p-8:30p Ponce I Chris Jenkins CPBT-KA, Natural Encounters, Inc.

Workshop 2: Educating the Flock 6:30p-9:30p Ponce II Mike Billington CPBT-KA, and Kenny Coogan CPBT-KA Workshop 3: Engaging Enrichment 6:30p-9:30p Ponce III Robin Shewokis and Dave Miller, Disney’s Animal Kingdom 7:00p-2:00a Hospitality Suite Open Spring & Monroe Sat 2/25 8:00a-5:00p Registration Piedmont Ballroom 6:30a-11:00a Complimentary Continental Breakfast Rockfish Grille 8:30a-4:30p PRESENTATIONS Piedmont Ballroom 8:30a-8:35a Announcements: Helen Dishaw, IAATE VP I now know better… 8:30a-9:00a Gareth Morgan, African Lion Safari Retirement: When Is it Time and What Does it Look Like? 9:00a-9:30a Rebecca Bearman, Assistant Curator of Birds and Program Animals, Zoo Atlanta The Raven That Wouldn’t 9:30a-10:00a Seth Wagner and Susan Burchardt, Woodland Park Zoo 10:15a-10:30a BREAK How Are We Doing?: Assessing the Effectiveness of Vulture Education 10:30a-11:00a Meghan Sparkman, Bird Staff/Educator at the Center for Birds of Prey/Avian Conservation Center Assessing Enrichment in the Busy Bird Show Season 11:00a-11:30a Lyndsay Newton, Birds and Program Animals Keeper III, Zoo Atlanta CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Shifting Paradigms; How to Begin Establishing Choice for 11:30a-12:00p Avian Ambassadors Leia Minch, American Bald Eagle Foundation 12:00p-1:30p LUNCH BREAK 12:00p-1:30p Hospitality Suite Open Spring & Monroe Project P.E.P.E. (Preparing entertaining Peafowl education) 1:30p-2:00p Joseph Parson, Animal Keeper, Cape May County Park & Zoo The IDEA Program: Interactive Display and Education Animals 2:00p-2:30p Jason Crean, MS, EdD 2:45p-3:00p BREAK Going Beyond Intern Training: Training to Train 3:00p-3:30p Christina Lavallee, Lead Keeper, Birds and Program Animals, Zoo Atlanta Anthropomorphism and its Impact on Training 3:30p-4:00p Jon Spero, African Lion Safari Aim At The Target But Focus On The Process 4:00p-4:30p Steve Martin CPBT-KA, Natural Encounters, Inc. 6:30p-10:00p BANQUET Piedmont Ballroom Pre-Dinner Cocktails 6:30p-7:30p Last chance Conservation Raffle ticket purchase opportunity. 7:30p-8:30p Dinner

Photo Contest Slide Show and Winners Kim Caldwell, Photo Contest Judge Enrichment Contest Winner Announcement Robin Shewokis, Enrichment Committee Chair High Flyer & Best Poster Awards Helen Dishaw, Vice President Behavior of the Year Award and Interpretive Award 8:30p-10:00p Kit Lacy, Awards Committee Chair Service/Board Member Awards Robin Shewokis, IAATE President Grants Announcements: Mike Billington, Education Committee Chair and Erin Katzner, Conservation Committee Chair Conservation Raffle 2018 Conference Promotion

10:00p-2:00a Hospitality Suite Open Spring & Monroe Pre-Conference Workshop WEDNESDAY, Feb 22 A Comprehensive Course for Bird Trainers and Show Presenters Steve Martin CPBT-KA, Natural Encounters, Inc.

Full-day Training Workshop 8am-5pm Ramada Plaza Location: Spring & Monroe $50 cost goes to IAATE conservation Fund

This workshop, presented by Steve Martin CPBT-KA, Past President of IAATE and President of Natural Encounters, Inc., is designed for all levels of training experience and includes the most contemporary information on the technology and scientific principles associated with training birds and other animals. Also included is empowering information on producing and presenting effective educational programs. Attendees may submit videos of their shows for evaluation during the workshop. The full-day course includes the following and more:

Operant Learning Principles Motivation  Understanding Reinforcement and  Antecedent strategies to increase motivation Punishment  Choice and control – empowering animals to  Effective reinforcement strategies maximize motivation  Schedules, rates, and value of  LRS and behavioral momentum reinforcement  Weight and food management  Alternatives to punishment Building Trusting Relationships with Animals Clear, Honest, Communication Creating High Performing Teams  Prompts, cues, and bridging stimuli Show Production and Presentation  Problems with baiting  Message delivery  Effective bridging strategies  Show structure  Ethics – animal welfare, mixed messages  Dealing with mistakes

Note: guides and certificates of completion will be provided for all attendees. This course is an outstanding preparation for the IATCB certification exam. Note: For CPBT-KA - CEU’s will be available for attendance at this workshop

• Attendees must pre-register for activities • Costs are not included in full registration cost • This Workshop is Full Pre-Conference Workshop WEDNESAY, Feb 22 A Comprehensive Course for Bird Trainers and Show Presenters Steve Martin CPBT-KA, Natural Encounters, Inc.

Steve Martin began his professional animal training career when he set up the first of its kind, free-flight bird show at the San Diego Wild Animal Park in 1976. The show became known for its unique ability to combine the entertainment of birds performing natural behaviors with inspirational conservation messages. He has now served as an animal behavior and visitor experience consultant for many zoological facilities in more than 20 countries. Steve spends about 200 days each year consulting, lecturing, and conducting animal training workshops. Steve is an instructor at the AZA Animal Training School, a member of the AZA Animal Welfare Committee, and a Trustee with the World Parrot Trust. He is also President of Natural Encounters, Inc., a company of over 50 professional animal trainers that provide a wide variety of animal behavior and educational services to the zoological world. Pre-Conference Trip WEDNESAY, Feb 22 Georgia Aquarium and World of Coke 10am-4pm Included with this pre-conference trip is admission to the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca- Cola. Lunch vouchers will be provided by the Georgia Aquarium and BTS tours will be led by their birds and mammals teams!

PICK UP LOCATION: Intersection of Luckie and Center for Human CNN Baker St. and Civil Rights tours

Behind the scenes tours at the Georgia Aquarium Will be offered at 11:00AM and at 1:00pm. Each attendee will be assigned a specific time slot due to limited space on each tour. The meeting spot will be at the information desk in the main lobby area. Please do not “sign-in” just wait for your tour guide to arrive.

Want more? For the cost of admission, you can visit The National Center for Civil and Human Rights just next door! You can also walk two blocks to The CNN Center and a take a backstage tour where you might get the chance to test out the powers of a green screen during a practice weather forecast.

TRANSPORTATION: If you want to stay downtown later than 4:00pm (or leave earlier), you can call the Ramada for a free shuttle pick up. Please try to do so in groups and allow 30 minutes for shuttle arrival after calling.

• Attendees must pre-register for activities • Costs are not included in full registration cost • This trip is full!! Icebreaker WEDNESAY, Feb 22 6:00PM to 10:00PM At the Ramada Plaza in the Piedmont Ballroom Cost Included in Full Conference Registration Cost if not registered for full conference: Member/Student: $65 Non-member: $85

The Ramada Plaza is where we’ll kick off the conference at the icebreaker. Atlanta has a huge comedy improv scene, and we’ll be treated to a show by Shawn Whitman and Company. You might even have a chance to practice some of your own improv skills so use that drink ticket wisely! We all know a little improv will come in handy next time you have a bird sitting in a tree that should be sitting on your glove. During the icebreaker, we’ll be raffling some great behind- the-scenes tour opportunities that can be used during Zoo Day, so bring your cash! Bar opens @ 6:00pm Improv Shows @ 6:30pm and 7:30pm Fun and Games @ 8:00pm Animal Encounter Raffle @ 9:00pm

Proceeds Benefit the Conservation Fund. Tickets $5. Win a chance to feed a Panda or another animal During Zoo Day!! Must be present to Win. Keynote Speaker THURSDAY, Feb 23 Chris Parish The Peregrine Fund

Photo Credit: Chuck Szmurlo

Chris N. Parish, was raised in a small farming/ranching and oil town in south-central California near the historical range of the remnant California condor population in the southern San Joaquin Valley. After a brief yet impactful introduction to the wildlife of the desert foothills mostly through hunting and fishing, he moved on to further his education at Northern Arizona University on an athletic scholarship, obtaining a B.S. in Biology with emphasis on Fish and Wildlife Management. Through time, education and reflection of the vast gap between the people of the land and conservation-oriented groups i.e. academics, scientists etc., it became obvious that he would strive to bridge the gap between the people of the lands and the scientific/management communities. After working on the Black Footed Ferret Reintroduction Program for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, he transferred to the Flagstaff Regional Office as Condor Project Coordinator in 1997. Since fall 2000, he has been directing the condor project’s field effort for The Peregrine Fund, continuing his passion for effectively conveying products of scientific inquiry to target audiences in an effort to recover a species. In 2012, Chris returned to Northern Arizona University in pursuit of a PhD. in the Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability Program.

Chris and his wife Ellen, have two beautiful teenage daughters, Emma and Anna. They can sometimes be found together exploring the wilds of the four corners region while tracking condors, hunting, fishing or hiking. Evening Workshops Repeat THURSDAY, Feb 23 and FRIDAY Feb 24 Workshops Begin at 6:30PM Personal Passion and the Perfect Presentation This two hour workshop will be facilitated by Chris Jenkins, CPBT-KA, Chief Operating Officer, Natural Encounters, Inc Exhibit talks, animal encounters, and stage shows are some of the primary tools that many facilities use to help connect guests with the animals that we care for. But what information are we sharing in these interactions, and how are we presenting it? In this workshop, we will explore some concepts that can help us to take full advantage of every opportunity to take these interactions to the next level: • Moving beyond "Sharing = Caring" • To Script or Not to Script: Interactions "In the Now" • Strategies for Training Visitors • What does "The Perfect Presenter" look like?

Workshops are NOT covered in the full-registration fee. IATCB CEU’s are available for certified trainers All workshops are FULL and begin at 6:30pm Evening Workshops Repeat Thursday, Feb 23 and Friday Feb 24 Workshops Begin at 6:30PM Educating the Flock: How to combine the science of training and education to create cooperative learning. This three hour workshop will be facilitated by IAATE Board Member, Mike Billington, CPBT-KA, and Kenny Coogan, CPBT-KA

Want to hone your education skills for zoo camps, outreach programs, zoo tours, shows and school presentations? We are emphasizing the 'E' in IAATE at this workshop! Learn how to promote collaborative and active learning, foster empowerment, adapt to various learning styles and utilize free educational technology. Attendees will go through various labs and hands on activities while best practices are being modeled. Participants will take home an inquiry-based activity and lab lesson plans as well as educational bird related prizes! .

Workshops are NOT covered in the full-registration fee. IATCB CEU’s are available for certified trainers All workshops are FULL and begin at 6:30pm Evening Workshops Repeat Thursday, Feb 23 and Friday Feb 24 Workshops Begin at 6:30PM Engaging Enrichment This three hour workshop will be facilitated by IAATE President, Robin Shewokis and IAATE Board Member, Dave Miller.

This workshop will focus on how to enrich your birds and your guests simultaneously. Learn the art of extending visitor stay time while inspiring them to leave as stewards of your avian ambassadors.

Evening Workshops PRESENTER BIOS

Robin Shewokis is the owner of The Leather Elves; a family business that creates enrichment for companion parrots. Robin realized there was a need for enrichment targeting other species, and has consulted at zoos in the US, Canada, Holland, and New Zealand. Robin consults at facilities where she works with keepers doing workshops and assisting in creating enrichment programs. Robin is President of the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators. She also serves on the Board of the National Parrot Rescue and Preservation Foundation. She is Massachusetts State Coordinator for the American Federation of Aviculture. Passionate about conservation, Robin has supported Blue Throated Macaw conservation as well as Kakapo conservation. A visit to New Zealand and the opportunity to hold a kakapo chick sold Robin on the flightless green parrot.

Dave Miller works at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and helps his team to build interactive experiences for thousands of guests that pass through on a daily basis. He is an IAATE Board member and is passionate about animal training and enrichment.

Dave Miller Robin Shewokis

Workshops are NOT covered in the full-registration fee. IATCB CEU’s are available for certified trainers All workshops are FULL and begin at 6:30pm Evening Workshops PRESENTER BIOS (cont.) Mike Billington is a fulltime trainer and educator at The Raptor Center (TRC), located at the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He has a degree in Environmental Education and is currently working on his Masters in Learning Technologies. He has worked at TRC for close to nine years where he plays a key role in training staff and volunteers. He has also taught many professionals about the science of behavior and training during TRC’s weeklong Care and Management workshops. In addition, he is a Teaching Assistant in Dr. Susan Friedman’s professional trainer’s course, Living and Learning with Animals (LLA). He has been a member of IAATE since 2009 and as a current IAATE Board member he is the Chair of the Education Committee and has consulted on the development of the IATCB Certification Exam.

Kenny Coogan, CPBT-KA, has been educating the public Mike Billington for the past 15 years. He is a regular pet, garden, and education columnist for publications including Backyard Poultry, Countryside, Creature Companions, and Florida Gardening magazines. He has authored an ecological themed children’s book titled, A Tenrec Named Trey (And other odd lettered animals that like to play). Coogan was awarded the Beginning Teacher of the Year for the state of Florida through the Florida Association of Science Teachers in 2015. He earned his Bachelor of Science in animal behavior at the University at Buffalo. He teaches comprehensive science to 100 7th and 8th grade students daily in Tampa, FL. Coogan shares his one acre homestead with a range of taxonomic organisms Kenny Coogan including five genera of carnivorous plants, ducks, chickens, and a Moluccan cockatoo.

Chris Jenkins' work with animals began with a summer job at SeaWorld in San Diego, California. After obtaining a degree in Psychology from UC Davis, Chris volunteered at the Sacramento Zoo until he decided to pursue a career with animals full time. In 2002, Chris was accepted into the Exotic Animal Training and Management Program at Moorpark College. Upon graduation, he worked as a wildlife educator at inner city schools in Los Angeles. Chris has worked for Natural Encounters, Imc. since 2005 – first as a trainer, later as a Supervisor at each of the company’s shows at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the "Flights of Wonder" and "Winged Encounters - The Kingdom Takes Flight," and now as Chief Operating Officer. He also works as an NEI training and show development consultant and a training workshop instructor. Chris is an IATCB certified professional bird trainer, member of AZA, ABMA and IAATE, and certified parrot behavior consultant through IAABC. Chris Jenkins Zoo Day Workshops Friday Feb 24 Workshops Begin at 9:30AM at Zoo Atlanta Raptor Care: Proper Restraint and Basic Coping Skills Instructors: Rebecca Bearman, Zoo Atlanta Cassie Malina, CPBT-KA, Natural Encounters, Inc. Kathryn Dudeck, Chattahoochee Nature Center Participants will have the opportunity for hands-on learning using cadaver raptors. This workshop will focus on Perching for Health and basic restraint and coping techniques. Welfare Trainers with no or limited experience in coping and/or restraint of raptors Instructors: James Ballance and Andy Clement, Zoo Atlanta will get the most out of this workshop for beginners. In this workshop, participants will get an overview of perching dos and don’ts in regards to keeping your birds’ feet healthy and minds active! After learning about the creativity and endless possibilities in perching options, attendees will get to practice skills building a variety of perches. If you drove to the conference you get to go home with your new creation! If you can’t get your perches home, the Birds and Programs Animals Department will put them to good use at Zoo Atlanta.

Workshops are NOT covered in the full-registration fee. IATCB CEU’s are available for certified trainers All workshops are FULL and begin at 6:30pm Zoo Day Workshops PRESENTER BIOS

Kathryn Dudeck has been the Wildlife Director of Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell since 2002. As the only full-time staff member in the department, she oversees the daily care of more than 125 permanent residents, 30 of which are raptors. Additionally, she is a state and federally-licensed raptor rehabilitator, receiving nearly 250 cases annually, and is FEMA-certified for Animals in Disasters. Kathryn studied at the University of Georgia, receiving a B.S. in Zoology and an M.S. in Marine Sciences with an emphasis in molecular biology.

Cassie Malina has worked with Natural Encounters, Inc. since 1998. She has produced and performed free flight bird shows in several facilities across the country and has consulted internationally on bird and other animal shows. She instructs at Natural Encounters, Inc. Training Workshops and has given talks at several conferences and bird club events. Cassie is the Director of Staff Development for Natural Encounters, Inc. Chief Financial Officer of the IAATE, and Certified Parrot Behavior Consultant through the IAABC.

Rebecca Bearman is currently the Assistant Curator of Birds and Program Animals at Zoo Atlanta where she has the privilege of managing a great group of keepers, collection of ambassador animals, and show birds. Additionally, she is the Chair of the Rodent, Insectivore, and Lagomorph TAG for AZA and the Coordinator of the Behavioral Management Committee at Zoo Atlanta.

James Balance has worked full time with birds for over 30 years, the last 16 at Zoo Atlanta as Curator of Birds plus others, currently Birds and Program Animals! His fascination and AZA focus is with flamingos, Gruiformes, ratites, and raptors (especially Old World vultures). The Program Animals Section of the department is run by his staff with more specialized knowledge so if there are things in Program Animals that you like, the kudos must go to the Program Animals team. It took James a long time to fully appreciate the values of training but he is now a wholehearted supporter. James is proud to share their department with attendees during this IAATE conference!

Andy Clement started out as an intern with the bird department over 5 years ago and was hired on full time just several months after. I’ve been awarded grant funds for professional development trips to the Great Lakes Piping Plover Project in Michigan and also to present a paper on stress free bird trapping in exhibits at last year’s AZA midyear conference. I’m a fan of all species of cranes and thoroughly enjoy working here with the rest of the bird team! Zoo Day Behind the scenes tours and open houses, shows, training demonstrations, animal feeding opportunities and more!

Workshop: Perching 9:30a-11:30a Tech Lab (ARC Building) Workshop: Coping and Restraint 9:30a-11:30a Ford Conference Room (ARC Building) Living Treehouse Tour (Aviary) 10:00a-11:00a Living Treehouse Bird Propagation Center Open for viewing and Keeper Q&A 10:00a-12:00p Gate on the East side of Wild Planet Café (Breeding/weather permitting) Animal Ambassador Building 10:00a-12:00p Wieland Wildlife Home Open for viewing Ape exhibit BTS viewing available 10:30a-11:30a Meet near Giant River Otter exhibit

Hoofstock Barn BTS Open for viewing 10:30a-11:30a Gate to the East of Georgia Extremes

Fantastic Flights Bird Show 11:00a-11:30a World of Wild Theater

BTS Mew Tours 11:30a-12:00p World of Wild Theater Animal Ambassador Building 11:30a-12:00p Wieland Wildlife Home Guided Tour and Q&A Lunch and Open Board Meeting 12:00p-1:30p Ford Conference Room (ARC Building)

Bird Exhibit Guided Tour 1:30p-2:30p Meet by Southern Ground Hornbill Exhibit Animal Ambassador Building 1:30p-3:00p Wieland Wildlife Home Open for viewing Gorilla Training Demonstration 1:45p-2:00p Inside Willie B's Gorilla Conservation Center Animal Adventures: A Small Animal 2:00p-2:15p Amy's Tree Theater Show Tiger Training Demonstration 2:00p-2:15p Tiger Training Panel Tiger Building BTS Tours 2:00p-2:30p Tiger Training Panel (ONLY if Tiger training demo can’t occur) Hoofstock Barn BTS Open for viewing 3:00p-4:00p Gate to the East of Georgia Extremes

Fantastic Flights Bird Show 3:00p-3:30p World of Wild Theater

BTS Mew Tours 3:30p-4:30p World of Wild Theater Bus to hotel – First bus leaves at 4:45p-5:30p Main Circle 4:45p LAST BUS is 5:30p!!!!

Yellow = workshop. Pre-registration White = Behind the Scenes area open Required for viewing during listed times. Bird/Program Animal area guided tour, Pink = show or training demonstration please arrive at start time. Bird Propagation Center tour

Ape exhibit tour

Tiger Training Demo or BTS Tour

Workshops, Aviary Tour Lunch and Open Board Meeting

GROUP PHOTO SPOT

Bird Exhibit Guided Hoofstock Tour Barn Viewing

Drop Off/Pick-Up Circle Last bus @ 5:30pm Banquet SATURDAY, Feb 25 6:00PM to 10:00PM At the Ramada Plaza in the Piedmont Ballroom Cost Included in Full Conference Registration Cost if not registered for full conference: Member/Student: $100 Non-member: $120

The 2017 conference will wrap up in grand style at this year’s banquet. Our banquet features a full dinner and a cash bar. Great food and great times to be had by all. Held at the Ramada Plaza, the banquet is a great time to recognize our fellow professionals with the Annual Awards Ceremony.

Photo Contest Slide Show and Winners Announcement. Enrichment Contest Winners Announcement. High Flyer Award Presentation. Behavior of the Year Award Presentation. Interpretive Award Presentation. Service and Board Member Awards. Grant Winners Announced! Find out where we are headed in 2018!!

Be sure to enter the Conservation Raffle to win awesome stuff!!! Paper Abstracts and Presenter Bios Antecedent Arrangements: A Trainer’s Best Friend Matt Edmonds Wonders of Nature Most trainers are familiar with terms such as Positive Reinforcement, Negative Reinforcement, and Punishment. While these concepts are certainly important, the term Antecedent Arrangement is one that should be on the top of every bird trainer’s “To Do’ list. Antecedent Arrangements, (or AA’s), are not only more effective than Positive Reinforcement, they are more ethical because they require less (or no) effort on the part of the bird. AA’s are the history and current conditions and surroundings of the bird immediately prior to a trainer interacting with the bird. Disregarding these arrangements almost surely increases the use of undesired techniques such as Negative Reinforcement and Punishment. With the proper AA’s, it is easier for birds to complete their behaviors, allowing them to perform at higher weights. This presentation will discuss what AA’s are and the many ways to create proper AA’s for training and shows.

Bio: Matt Edmonds is the Owner / Operator of Wonders of Nature Traveling Wildlife Show based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Matt started his animal career 1987 as a zoo keeper. In 1993 he discovered he had some talent for interpreting animal behavior and shaping their behavior with rewards. That led to a new direction in his career. In 1994 he began training animals for education shows. Matt believes that "learning is taught, but caring is caught" and live animal shows are the best way to infect the public with the love of nature. In January 2002, Matt started Wonders of Nature. The show travels to schools, libraries, retirement communities, etc. in West Central Florida. Matt's love of science and nature began when he saw the television series "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan. Carl's love of nature and his brilliant, yet understandable explanations of the universe as described by science, taught Matt to appreciate nature as a whole. Since then, he has never focused too closely on any single aspect of nature. He loves everything from the smallest virus to the largest cluster of galaxies. Matt's hobbies are playing the drums, riding his motorcycle, and photography. Bugs are his favorite subjects to photograph, but anything in nature is a possible target for a picture.

The Evolution of Control for our Striated Caracara Nicky Plaskitt, CPBT-KA, Paradise Wildlife Park At Paradise Wildlife Park we acquired a young Striated Caracara (Phalcoboenos australis) in September 2014. She was approximately 6 months old and had been bred at ZSL London Zoo. We had a few ideas of what we wanted her to do during our show, standard caracara things like going into a dustbin, running through a tunnel and turning things over with her feet. Having worked with the species before I know how intelligent they are and that this can lead to them becoming ‘bored’ or ‘stuck in a rut’ if the same behaviors are asked each and every day in the same order. So right from day one we aimed to mix things up, offering lots of new behavior ideas and never putting things in the same place two days running. She also never gets the same food two days running, the amount constantly fluctuates and is frequently subsidized with live insects in enrichment items. In fact she probably receives the most enrichment of any of our birds simply because she is so keen to get into everything (even without food!) Gradually we realized that she was so focused on exploring the new things in the flying arena that basically we could just stand in one place and reinforce her for completing the behaviors we wanted in ANY order. This gives her complete control over the way she does her ‘routine’ every day, and we can send her back to points or posts that she may have missed if necessary. She usually hits all points once before turning to us for instruction and then we can send her back to anything she didn’t perhaps do to the highest criteria. She is now just over 2 years old and starting to molt into her adult colors. This has been an exercise in keepers relinquishing control pretty much completely – something we have tried to do with many of our birds, by offering them the choice to fly out of the aviary instead of going to get them, and flying them without anklets and jesses. These birds have such an inquisitive and mischievous nature as I’m sure other caracara trainers have found, and she is usually one of the highlights of my day!

Bio: I have been the Section Leader for the Bird section at Paradise Wildlife Park in the UK since July 2012. In addition I oversee all the training across the park, whether for shows, public experiences or husbandry and veterinary behaviors. Prior to this I spent nearly 10 years working for ZSL London Zoo on both the Animal Activities section responsible for training animals for public experiences and shows, and a large mammal section where I did a lot of husbandry training. Over the years I have worked with a diverse range of species and find the act of teaching birds in a free flight setting to be the most challenging and the most rewarding! I have been lucky enough to spend 2 seasons working on the Birds of the World Show

Selection Process for Non-Releasable Birds: The First Step in Bird Welfare Kit Lacy –Education Director - Cascades Raptor Center The selection of ambassador animals coming out of wildlife rehabilitation facilities is an evolving process as information grows regarding long-term physical impacts of disabilities on an animal’s quality of life. Ambassador animal welfare traditionally addressed nourishment, length of life, and physical safety while in human care. More facilities are now focusing on cognitive well-being, including examining if individuals are free from pain, fear, and distress as a measure of welfare. And, as more trainers are adopting choice-based training methods using the least number of aversive stimuli possible, bird selection is the first step in the welfare process. Cascades Raptor Center has developed rigorous criteria for all birds before they are added to our team. Because many of our resident birds are wild- hatched individuals deemed non-releasable by rehabilitation facilities, it became necessary to devise a thorough assessment process. Data collected from wellness monitoring of our current bird collection coupled with over 20 years of comprehensive necropsy reports have provided information indicating that many disabilities that result in non-releasable status also preclude individuals from having a high quality of life in human care. Setting an ambassador animal up for a successful life in human care begins with appropriate, well considered selection.

Bio: Kit Lacy is Education Director at Cascades Raptor Center, Eugene, OR. For over a decade, Kit has been collaborating with other Raptor Center staff on developing the best possible team of avian ambassadors through appropriate bird selection and positive reinforcement training techniques. With over 12 years of experience in wildlife rehabilitation, assisting in Cascades’ wildlife hospital, she is familiar with many injuries that deem raptors non-releasable. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a Master of Science in Animal Behavior and taught college biology for seven years before focusing on her passion for raptors. Her most satisfying bird training accomplishment was winning the IAATE 2012 Show Behavior of the Year for training two White-tailed Kites to kite on cue. She has been a member of the IAATE board of directors since 2013.

Captive Management Issues Involving Birds of Prey. David Scott, DVM. Staff veterinarian, Carolina Raptor Center, Charlotte, NC There are many issues that can affect birds of prey in a captive situation. Many are husbandry-related and avoidable, while others involve common diseases of infectious and possibly contagious origin. This talk will cover some of the most common and serious problems that affect captive raptors. Topics covered will include Aspergillosis, bumblefoot, avian pox, overgrown beaks, obesity, accidental trauma (involving fractures and talons), as well as many other subjects. Actual cases will be used to illustrate each topic and audience participation will be encouraged.

Bio: David Scott is the staff veterinarian at the Carolina Raptor Center. His areas in interest include orthopedic surgery and bioinformatics. He is the creator of the RaptorMed™ medical records system that is in use at facilities worldwide and he has just published the 2nd edition of his book “Raptor Medicine, Surgery and Rehabilitation”. The Importance of Relationships Justin Eckelberry, Birds and Program Animals Keeper II, Zoo Atlanta A positive relationship is an invaluable tool in a trainer’s arsenal of reinforcements. While it is not always a necessity, it is always an advantage when going into a training session. Much like relationships between people, animal-human relationships must be cultivated over time. Relationships are not built overnight. They take time and a constant effort from the first meeting to the last. Using a real world example of a red-tail hawk and trainer, this paper will aim to explain what a relationship is at a psychological level and describe its importance as a secondary reinforcer. Both successes and failures will be discussed in detail as well as elements of building relationships in both naturally social and non-social animals.

Bio: My name is Justin Eckelberry and I am a Keeper II at Zoo Atlanta. I earned my BS in Zoology from The Ohio State University and worked at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and North Georgia Zoo prior to becoming a keeper at Zoo Atlanta. What I love most about working with birds is the time and care you have to take in order to build trust between the teacher and learner. My favorite bird to work with is Baobab, our hooded vulture, because I love convincing our audiences that he’s the cutest bird we have. Have you ever seen a vulture run, I mean come on!

The Peruvian Amazon: My Personal Journey into the Rainforest and the National Aviary’s Deep Connection with my Experience Kelly Pollard, National Aviary When one’s day consists of caring for birds from around the world, it’s only a matter of time until the itch to observe them in their natural environments begins to emerge. For myself, that itch continued to grow until two years ago I could ignore it no longer, and I began the process of becoming a volunteer in the Peruvian Amazon. This paper will not only discuss the amazing work I was lucky enough to take part in, but more importantly how the National Aviary has benefitted from my time in the rainforest. In an age when zoos are increasingly under the proverbial microscope, being able to say that our zoo feels so strongly about conservation that we are sending staff to the field, becomes vital. It’s my hope that this presentation may inspire someone else to take this journey into the natural world just as I was inspired by a presentation a few years ago. That presentation, along with an article written for The Flyer, stayed in the back of my mind over the last few years, and gave me the extra push I needed to scratch that itch and say, I want to go into the field!

Bio: Kelly is a Show & Education Trainer at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she has worked since 2005. Before coming to the National Aviary, Kelly received a BS in Zoology from Kent State University, an MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan, completed a Conservation Biology Internship at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and worked as an Education Specialist at Sea World Orlando. She has been an active member of IAATE since 2010, and a member of the Education Committee for the last few years. Kelly has presented papers at IAATE and ABMA, and is also a member of the Pittsburgh AAZK chapter

The Art and Creation of Interactive Experiences in a Free-Flight Aviary: Let’s Do This Together! Dave Miller, Disney’s Animal Kingdom In the “The Art and Creation of Interactive Experiences in a Free-Flight Aviary: Let’s Do This Together!” I will cover some of the useful tools including: in-depth knowledge of birds, individual behavior, natural history, food management, seeking out the highest reinforcers, and other additional information. In this paper/presentation I will share the art and technique that we use on a daily basis to help build solid relationships with free-flight birds and co-workers. It is hoped that by sharing this information, other keepers in free-flight aviaries will go beyond maintenance and medical training, and into engaging and inspiring their guests by spotlighting their birds’ natural behaviors. I will also cover how to convey a solid message and the art of interacting with your guests. When focusing on natural behaviors, the free-flight training elevates the level of activity, which allows guests to be more aware of every species around them. By highlighting how amazing and resilient birds are, we inspire guests to take a deeper look into their lives. By making sure that everyone on the team has value and responsibility, we can work as a whole and inspire each other. The key to any team’s success is the uniting and coaching of one another. This paper will also give insights on how to look at skill sets within your team, and set your co-workers up for success.

Bio: Dave Miller works at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and helps his team to build interactive experiences for thousands of guests that pass through on a daily basis. He is an I.A.A.T.E. board member and is passionate about animal training and enrichment.

I Now Know Better… Gareth Morgan, African Lion Safari Change can be a scary thing and is not often welcomed with open arms. We like to stay in our comfort zone, do what is familiar to us or what has worked for us in the past. However to make improvements, change is necessary or else we are not going to progress. Over the 23 years of managing birds, the way I do things now in some cases is completely different from when I first started. At the time what I was doing seemed right, others were all doing the same thing and everything was all done in good intentions. At the time it was the best information available and what was known. However, trying new things to make advancements, educating myself and learning from others to become better has led to what I believe to be better management of our birds. I would like to share with people what I have learned by looking at what I used to do and compare it to what I do now and share why I like how it works better for us. You can’t know something until you’ve learned it or experienced it. I would like to now share what I have learned thus far and I look forward to where we go from here!

Bio: Gareth has been working with birds since he was 16 years old in a zoo setting. He started out volunteering and is now the Manager of Birds at the African Lion Safari, Ontario, Canada. Gareth is most attracted to carnivorous birds, especially raptors and is responsible for one of the largest and most diverse collections of Birds of Prey in North America. Gareth has been flying birds in shows for 23 seasons and is involved in breeding many species of birds. Gareth is also involved in conservation projects around the world and is currently serving on the IAATE board as the international representative.

Retirement: When is it Time and What Does it Look Like? Rebecca Bearman, Assistant Curator of Birds and Program Animals, Zoo Atlanta The decision to retire an ambassador animal is never easy and is almost never black and white. With an aging collection, Zoo Atlanta has had to make the decision to permanently retire 3 show birds in the last few years: an African pied crow, a red-tailed hawk and an Eurasian eagle owl. This paper will discuss what behaviors each bird demonstrated that pointed toward retirement being the right choice. Due to limited resources, we could not give retired birds the attention they were used to receiving from their human family, so we looked at other ways to ensure retirement was as enriching for them as their working lives had been. We looked at each individual bird’s personal and natural history and made a specific plan that would suit their needs.

Bio: I am currently the Assistant Curator of Birds and Program Animals at Zoo Atlanta where I have the privilege of managing a great group of keepers, our collection of ambassador animals, and our free-flight bird show. Additionally, I am the Chair of the Rodent, Insectivore, and Lagomorph TAG for AZA and the Coordinator of the Behavioral Management Committee at Zoo Atlanta. I began working with animals in 1992 at our family pet store just outside Chicago, IL. It was this job that allowed me to find my passion for utilizing animals to educate people about their natural history and natural behaviors. After earning my BS from the University of Miami, I earned my MSc from Oxford Brookes University in Primate Conservation. I have been lucky enough to train under both Ken Ramirez and Steve Martin and I have a passion for sharing my knowledge about teaching and learning with others! The Raven That Wouldn’t Seth Wagner and Susan Burchardt, Woodland Park Zoo In December of 2015 our ambassador animal department acquired a Common Raven from a rehabilitation facility in California. He was a juvenile bird with a slight wing injury and clipped wings. It was thought someone had tried to raise him as a pet. Upon arriving at our facility he quickly settled into his new enclosure and he proved to be very social and interested in working with his trainers. However, he also would show a high fear response if perching or toys in his enclosure were moved or changes were made to the larger room his enclosure was in. This behavior extended to the point that he would stop responding to cues and could not be worked elsewhere. This continued to happen even with intermediate approximations. He would not work with trainers anywhere but in his area. This presentation is going to focus on the series of strategies, some successful and some not, we have used to help him recover from this paralyzing fear. We will also share our ideas for developing his training in the future.

Bio: Seth Wagner was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and had an animal obsession at an early age thanks to the local presence of Jack Hannah at the Columbus Zoo. He started working a seasonal keeper at Columbus Zoo in college while obtaining a BS in Zoology and Genetics at Ohio Wesleyan University. That developed into a career working in zoos that took him to Alaska and then eventually Seattle where he works ambassador animals for Woodland Park Zoo. He is an avid birdwatcher and enjoys spending his time SCUBA diving exploring the wilds of Washington!

Bio: Susan Burchardt has a B.S. in Zoology from Miami University. She began working with birds at World Bird Sanctuary, and has worked at the Raptor Center at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, WA since 2009. She works every day to make herself acceptable to all the birds in her care.

How Are We Doing? Assessing the Effectiveness of Vulture Education Meghan Sparkman, Bird Staff/Educator at the Center for Birds of Prey/Avian Conservation Center While most avian educators are aware of the vulture population crises in Africa and India, it is far less common for members of the United States’ general public to be familiar with the problem. The education programs at the Center for Birds Of Prey consistently feature information about vulture conservation and natural history. But just how affective is our programming at raising awareness or changing human behavior? We aim to answer these questions using two surveys: one administered to guests/students before they have seen our programming and one administered after they had seen or participated in an educational program featuring vultures. The surveys aim to answer the following questions: How do members of the general public view vultures? How important do they believe vultures are to a healthy environment? How aware are they of the current vulture population crises in India and Africa? Would they be willing to change their behavior to any extent to help vultures?

Bio: Meghan Sparkman is an Educator at the Center for Birds of Prey/Avian Conservation Center, a non-profit organization located just outside of Charleston, South Carolina. While attending Auburn University as an undergraduate she walked by a bulletin board asking for volunteers at the Southeastern Raptor Center, and that moment changed the course of her life. After volunteering in the Clinic and Education departments at the SRC, she decided to pursue a career in avian conservation and education, and was lucky enough to be hired at the Center for Birds of Prey upon graduation in 2013. Meghan is particularly passionate about vultures, and is happiest when she is sees new guests learning to appreciate these fascinating and incredibly important scavengers.

Assessing Enrichment in the Busy Bird Show Season Lyndsay Newton, Birds and Program Animals Keeper III, Zoo Atlanta Enrichment is a vital part of animal care. Facilities caring for animals often have limited staff time and resources. This may make it difficult to evaluate enrichment to determine if it is accomplishing intended goals. It may also be challenging to modify enrichment or provide alternatives for items that are not effective at achieving goals. Furthermore, when working with education and show animals, diet is often used for training purposes, limiting the use of foraging-based enrichment items. At Zoo Atlanta, we have started to address several of these issues within our enrichment program. We have developed simple studies to collect data on enrichment. These studies were designed to be implemented with minimal staff time, and could even be conducted during the busy show season. In this paper, we will share these studies, present ways in which we were able to improve our enrichment program, and provide some solutions to challenges unique to show and education collections.

Bio: Lyndsay Newton is a Keeper III at Zoo Atlanta. She has been working with birds since 2008. In August of 2014, she joined the zoo’s Program Animals department. Her primary duties are the care of the department’s free flight bird collection and presentation of shows and encounters with birds of prey, parrots, and other exotic avian species. Fun fact: her previous career had her working as a geneticist, and as a result, she comes down firmly on the side that birds should be considered feathered members of Class Reptilia. Shifting Paradigms; How to Begin Establishing Choice for Avian Ambassadors Leia Minch, American Bald Eagle Foundation If you work at a facility that does not integrate animal-choice training and husbandry strategies into their programs, moving in that direction can be a long and arduous process. The American Bald Eagle Foundation (ABEF) in Haines, Alaska has transitioned from coercive tactics to giving ambassadors options and control over their environments. Changing standards of our avian programming required a full-spectrum assessment of our policies and procedures. We looked at more than shifting our training methods alone. In doing this, we found the best way to give the birds choices required a change in our antecedent arrangement, the creation of a comprehensive enrichment plan, choosing the right job for the individual birds and, letting go of human egos. The goal of this paper is to share information to help other facilities who are moving toward, or would like to move toward choice-oriented methods of keeping, training and handling. It discusses challenges, limitations and tactics as well as sharing research, successes and considerations. By sharing our journey of change, we hope to empower facilities like ours to take the first steps in transitioning to a birds-choose system of keeping, training and handling.

Bio: Leia Minch was raised in Phoenix, Arizona but has spent the last decade of her life between California, Oregon and Alaska. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.S. in journalism and environmental studies. Her career with raptors began as a volunteer for the Cascades Raptor Center in Eugene, Oregon where she learned raptor husbandry, handling, positive reinforcement training and how to present to large crowds in an inspiring and compelling manner. Minch has completed both basic and advanced courses on raptor rehabilitation through the Center. At the Foundation, Minch creates and improves raptor natural history and conservation education materials for interns and guests alike. Her main focus is improving enrichment, husbandry, and training in order to give her feathered co- workers as many choices as possible. She also dabbles in photography, grant writing, web design, and graphic design for the Foundation.

Project P.E.P.E. (Preparing entertaining Peafowl education) Joseph Parson, Animal Keeper, Cape May County Park & Zoo Our facility has a population of India Peafowl that roam free throughout the park and zoo. While most people enjoy watching them, some visitors will try to touch or harass them. This puts both the birds and visitors at risk. While signs are up to inform the public about them, few have interest in reading the signs. Over the last few years I have been developing a keeper talk to inform the public of their natural behaviors and better ways to interact with them. To do this without desensitizing the free roaming population, I have utilized four peafowl that are not releasable for various reasons. Each one was raised with a different method, and thus perform differently from each other and are able to teach the public different things. This paper will cover the pros and cons of the ways each one was raised, and how each bird can be properly utilized for education.

Bio: My name is Joseph Parsons, and I have an Associate’s degree in Zoo Animal Technology from the Santa Fe Community College of Gainesville, FL. Since 2004 I have been employed at the Cape May County Park & Zoo of Cape May, New Jersey as an Animal Keeper. While trained to be a relief keeper for multiple ecies, the majority of the time I am assisting the bird department.

The IDEA Program: Interactive Display and Education Animals Jason Crean, MS, EdD The IDEA Program is a program created by Jason Crean, MS, EdD that provides guidelines for educational programs that include live animals in different venues. In order to support classroom teachers, organization representatives, and anyone doing interactive outreach programs, the guidelines created by Dr. Crean can provide a positive educational experience for all. Keeping the language about the species represented and anticipating audience questions can be key to success. This program aims to help educators of all kinds increase the impact of their animal programs.

Bio: Jason Crean, MS, EdD is a degreed biologist and educator, specializing in incorporating scientific data into classroom activities to illustrate how science applications affect conservation. He runs a live animal education program that trains students to do free interactive events for a host of different audiences. Dr. Crean also acts as consultant to zoos and other institutions across the country. Crean has been awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching by President Obama, the High School Science Teacher of the Year by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as awards from the National Science Teachers Association, National Association of Biology Teachers, Illinois Science Teachers Association, Golden Apple Foundation, among others. He is the President of the Illinois Science Teachers Association and Illinois Association of Biology Teachers, First Vice- President of the American Federation of Aviculture, and sits on the College Board’s National Science Advisory Board.

Going Beyond Intern Training: Training to Train Christina Lavallee, Lead Keeper, Birds and Program Animals, Zoo Atlanta Interns take on unpaid positions to gain experience in zoos and aquariums. In exchange for their help keeping our collections and work spaces taken care of, they receive hands on experience and networking opportunities as they pursue career interests. Within the Program Animals department at Zoo Atlanta, the interns learn basic husbandry, diet preparation, and basic tool use. They also learn how to effectively conduct animal encounters, assist with shows, and help train other volunteers. Sometimes an intern goes above and beyond expectations and staff need a way to reinforce an exceptional intern. That reinforcement comes in the way of continued learning and experience: writing a training plan. Once that plan is approved, the intern gets the opportunity to train the behavior with the guidance of a mentor. This is also a great way to allow keeper staff to gain experience in teaching others! Not all interns get to the stage of actually training their animals, but if they are diligent and motivated, then they get the opportunity to demonstrate the trained behavior to the staff and other interns.

Bio: Christina Lavallee has worked at Zoo Atlanta for the past four years as lead keeper in the birds and program animals department. She has been working with birds and other animals in informal encounters, presentations, and shows for more than 13 years. She mentors staff, interns, and docents on animal handling and encounters to improve their skills and the guest experience. She likes training, exploring new places, and gardening.

Anthropomorphism and its Impact on Training Jon Spero, African Lion Safari As humans we have a tendency to assume that other animals think and act in a way that is similar to ourselves. This is a form of anthropomorphism, and is believed to be an innate part of our psychology, which can be problematic for animal trainers. Anthropomorphizing can cause us to make assumptions and generalizations that may yield failure for the subject and frustration for the trainer. As trainers, we have to remind ourselves that we don’t know the way other animals think or what they are thinking and therefore need to make training decisions based off of their exhibited behaviors. In this presentation I will be looking at some of the ways we anthropomorphize while training and the implications that it can have.

Bio: Jon Spero is a senior animal trainer at African Lion Safari in Cambridge, Ontario Canada. He attended the University of Guelph, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology. It was in his first year as an undergrad, in 2008, where he began volunteering with non-releasable birds of prey. Jon started working at the Bird of Prey Conservation Centre at African Lion Safari in 2009, where he continues to train birds and educate the public through a free flight demonstration. Aim At the Target but Focus on the Process Steve Martin CPBT-KA, Natural Encounters, Inc. Programmatic pressures can cause serious compromises in this fast-paced world of educational animal show production. The need for urgent action can eclipse good judgment, undermine relationships and cause a myriad of other problems. However, even in calm environments trainers often make mistakes by pursuing short-term goals without considering the long-term consequences of the process used to achieve the goal. For instance, it is often the case that a trainer might force or trick a bird into a cage and focus on the momentary success only to realize tomorrow that the bird is even more difficult to get into the cage. Process is paramount in everything we do from training animals, to preparing diets, to working with colleagues and so much more. Through careful consideration of the process and skillful application of behavior change principals, we can create lasting, reliable behavior while improving relationships and providing better welfare for the animals in our care.

Bio: Steve Martin began his professional animal training career when he set up the first of its kind, free-flight bird show at the San Diego Wild Animal Park in 1976. The show became known for its unique ability to combine the entertainment of birds performing natural behaviors with inspirational conservation messages. He has now served as an animal behavior and visitor experience consultant for many zoological facilities in more than 20 countries. Steve spends about 200 days each year consulting, lecturing, and conducting animal training workshops. Steve is an instructor at the AZA Animal Training School, a member of the AZA Animal Welfare Committee, and a Trustee with the World Parrot Trust. He is also President of Natural Encounters, Inc., a company of over 50 professional animal trainers that provide a wide variety of animal behavior and educational services to the zoological world. Poster Abstracts and Presenter Bios Weight Management: Raising Targets over Time Lyndsay Newton, Birds and Program Animals Keeper III, Zoo Atlanta Weight management can be safe and effective when used in conjunction with appropriate antecedents and consequences such as clear cues, predictable reinforcement, and good relationships. Weight management programs should strive to work a bird at its highest target weight – this weight ideally being at or above ad lib weight – at which the bird behaves predictably most of the time. Immediately prior to 2010, the working birds at Zoo Atlanta had a static target range instead of target weights. Ranges were rarely, if ever changed, during the course of any single show season. Ad lib weight data had also not been recorded for the collection. In 2011, flexible target weights were set which keepers frequently adjust in small increments based on the factors above. Since then, we have added new birds to our collection, and had an opportunity to collect feed up weight data on established collection birds. This poster will review what we have learned by studying weights on these birds as well as suggestions for weight management programs.

Bio: Lyndsay Newton is a Keeper III at Zoo Atlanta. She has been working with birds since 2008. In August of 2014, she joined the zoo’s Program Animals department. Her primary duties are the care of the department’s free flight bird collection and presentation of shows and encounters with birds of prey, parrots, and other exotic avian species. Fun fact: her previous career had her working as a geneticist, and as a result, she comes down firmly on the side that birds should be considered feathered members of Class Reptilia.

Treatment of Severe Bumblefoot in 1.0 Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) Utilizing Training to Minimize Stress Kelly Pollard, National Aviary Our male snowy owl presented with lameness of his right foot, and upon examination it was found that he had severe bumblefoot in both feet, although the right foot was more advanced. Show Staff consulted with Veterinary Staff regarding his treatment plans, and made sure that the two departments worked together to allow for the highest quality of care possible. This poster will outline his various treatments, as well as what Show Staff were able to do to minimize the stress caused to him. While reducing stress is important for any animal, it becomes critical when dealing with a bird that is highly susceptible to aspergillosis infection. Fleury is still undergoing treatments, but continues to improve every day.

Bio: Kelly is a Show & Education Trainer at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she has worked since 2005. Before coming to the National Aviary, Kelly received a BS in Zoology from Kent State University, an MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan, completed a Conservation Biology Internship at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and worked as an Education Specialist at Sea World Orlando. She has been an active member of IAATE since 2010, and a member of the Education Committee for the last few years. Kelly has presented papers at IAATE and ABMA, and is also a member of the Pittsburgh AAZK chapter.

Using Movement to Engage Learners in Programs and Presentations Loy Maierhauser, Education Director, Montana Raptor Conservation Center This poster will present different ways that wildlife educators can use movement during their programs and presentations to help engage learners of all ages. Frequently, as a wildlife educator, I fall back on my comfort zone - standing in front of a classroom with the birds and talking (lecturing) about them. Movement is a great way to help people remember and connect with what they’re learning, and this poster will show different ways that people can incorporate movement into their education. One way to incorporate movement is by using small group rotations - dividing your program up into small groups and have them rotate through different “stations” for hands on learning and to get them up and moving. Another way is by developing active games, like an obstacle course or other physical challenge that represent part of the message that you’re trying to convey. We have used a “migration challenge” obstacle course that kids have a blast participating in, but also gets them thinking deeper about the challenges that birds go through while migrating. We have also had students build nest boxes or bird feeders and have gone on hikes as part of an effort to increase participants’ movement while learning.

Bio: Loy Maierhauser has 12 years of experience in the tourism and hospitality business, and has worked with birds (mostly raptors) for over 10 years. She got her start doing bird shows at Reptile Gardens in Rapid City, SD as a teenager. When she moved to Oregon for college, she missed working with birds so much that she started volunteering at the Cascades Raptor Center in Eugene, where she spent most of her free time during her college years. Loy then became an elementary school teacher, working in both rural and urban schools before finding her way back to birds in her current role as the Education Director at the Montana Raptor Conservation Center in Bozeman, Montana.

Mew Modifications: Where Are We Now? Christina Lavallee, Lead Keeper, Birds and Program Animals, Zoo Atlanta At the 2015 IAATE conference, several colleagues presented a paper on the evolution of our mews. Add-ons were built onto the mews to provide the show collection at Zoo Atlanta's World of Wild Theater additional visual stimulation. “Pop ups,” additional windows, and shifts to other mews were all new additions. Since then, we have evaluated the usage of these additional spaces. Anecdotally, it appeared that all the birds were in their new spaces whenever they were given access. It seemed like the birds were choosing new windows and pop-ups even over old windows they’d sat in front of prior. With limited resources we utilized teen volunteers and Zoomonitor to determine how much more time the birds were spending in these new areas instead of old ones.

Bio: Christina Lavallee has worked at Zoo Atlanta for the past four years as lead keeper in the birds and program animals department. She has been working with birds and other animals in informal encounters, presentations, and shows for more than 13 years. She mentors staff, interns, and docents on animal handling, and encounters to improve their skills and the guest experience. She likes training, exploring new places and gardening.

Thirty-two and Twenty-six Years in a Cage: The Challenge of Two Blue and Gold Macaws (Ara Ararauna) to Learn New Behaviors From Undesired Stimulus to Desired Stimulus: A Story Without Grille. DVM CPBT-KA Joel Romero Lujan, DVM G. Alicia Sánchez Peralta MEDCAB (Medicine Clinic of Animal Behavior), Mexico How easy could be free? When life has adapted to bars for many years, is freedom difficult? Everything change everyday out of a cage, so, every single stimulus could be aversive or desired? Therefore, objective of this study is understand what kind of stimuli influence on new behaviors in two blue and gold macaws. This project was carried out at Miguel Aleman Foundation located in Mexico City, Mexico. Macaws of 32 and 26 years old with nothing of previous training in lifetime. Starting work under a medical examination of both birds, results allow us determine macaws show no signs of serious illness and are candidates for a bird training program. Bird behaviors and body language during trainings in and out their cage give us information to recognize undesired and desired events just before and after the wanted behaviors in our macaws. In this work, birds never were abused, negative reinforcement process appear in front us when we analyze in depth the macaws interaction with environment. We can conclude that in our macaws, after many years in the same environment, adapt to a new one was difficult and still is difficult for them but always birds find a positive consequence.

Bio: Joel Romero Lujan graduated from Veterinary School at the Metropolitan University of Mexico. Cofounder of Medicine Clinic of Animal Behavior in Mexico. Worked and collaborated with seven different zoos, pet owners and farm animals in eight different states of Mexico the last 17 years. IAATE Member since 8 years ago. Happy of represent Latin America at the IAATE International Committee. Always interested and focused in animal medicine and training, as main goal learn every day more about the same topic and try to motivate the interest in avian training at many places in Latin America. Bio: G. Alicia Sánchez Peralta graduated from Veterinary School at the UMSNH of Morelia, Mexico. Cofounder of Medicine Clinic of Animal Behavior in Mexico. Worked with five different zoos and pet owners for the last 13 years. IAATE member since 6 years ago. Always excited to learn more skills training, committed to improve the quality of life for birds in captivity and motivate those working with them.

Migration to the New Exhibit Michelle Ferguson, Austral/ Asia Keeper, Brevard Zoo The Austral/ Asia section at Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida, is home to over 200 individual animals (over 20 different avian species.) This year, funding provided the growing zoo the opportunity to create brand new exhibits. Two new aviaries, a new bat exhibit, and a new mixed species exhibit will all house various bird species. Before construction could begin, keepers prepared plans for how each individual would be relocated to temporary aviaries and off-exhibit holding areas. Relocating our smaller aviary birds such as rainbow lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus) was our biggest challenge simply because of the quantity. Relocating 2.2 emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) and 0.1 Southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) required a custom built crate, lots of training, and some muscles. The planning and preparation that was put into all animal moves was carefully thought out by staff while keeping in mind what the most positive, least intrusive methods would be within the time constraint our small team had. Techniques used to make the moves possible included training certain birds to fly to hand, crate training larger birds, and tunnel training our two large flocks. Our mostly green staff was able to successfully migrate these birds into their new homes.

Bio: I'm an Austral/ Asia Keeper at the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida. I have a Bachelor's of Science in Biology, and knew I wanted to work with animals at a young age. After being introduced to the zoological field through internships both in the lab and animal side, I landed my first keeper job at a small zoo in Virginia. There, I cared for all animals which included, birds, reptiles, and mammals. I wanted to expand my knowledge in animal behavior, and that's when I joined the Brevard Zoo team. Now, I care for over 20 different avian species. While I love ratites, my current favorite individual is a Tawny frogmouth that I have hand raised. Every day when I come to work I feel at home when I get to train my animals. I hope to expand my knowledge of avian training as I continue to do what I love! Pre-registered Conference Attendees Contact Information Chika Akiyama Wildcare Inc. [email protected] Teresa Aldrich Reptile gardens [email protected] Kelly Andersen OC Zoo [email protected] Eddie Annal Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden [email protected] Amanda Baca Abq Biopark Zoo [email protected] Aidan Bailey Audubon Nature Institute [email protected] Arianna Bailey Natural Encounters Inc. [email protected] James Balance Zoo Atlanta [email protected] Ashley Batchik Wildcare Inc. [email protected] Jason Beale Shaver's Creek Env. Center [email protected] Rebecca Bearman Zoo Atlanta [email protected] Christine Behringer National Aquarium [email protected] Alicia Biewer Willowbrook Wildlife Center [email protected] Michael Billington The Raptor Center [email protected] Victoria Bird Dickerson Park Zoo [email protected] Bree Boothe Oregon Zoo [email protected] Julie Bragovich Naples Zoo [email protected] Jackie Bray RAPTOR Inc. [email protected] Megan Brittain America's Teaching Zoo [email protected] Nickie Broesel High Desert Museum [email protected] Susan Brown The Behavior Connection [email protected] Danielle Brown Dolphin Research Center [email protected] Morgan Bryson Pacific Northwest Raptors Ltd. [email protected] Susan Burchardt Woodland Park Zoo [email protected] Kendra Burns McDowell Environmental Center [email protected] Devin Clarke Dolphin Research Center [email protected] Tyler Clements Exotic Animal Training Program Moorpark [email protected] Stacie Cole Discovery Cove [email protected] Kenny Coogan Orange Grove Middle Magnet School [email protected] Jason Crean All Species Consulting [email protected] Sandra Davey Mountsberg Raptor Centre [email protected] Amy De Leon Milwaukee County Zoo [email protected] Gary Denzler Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden [email protected] Jaclyn DeSantis Ojai Raptor Center [email protected] Helen Dishaw Tracy Aviary [email protected] Melissa Dolinsky Disney's Animal Kingdom [email protected] Samantha D'Orsaneo Aquarium of Niagara [email protected] Ellen Dreyer Brevard Zoo [email protected] Paul Eberhart Brookfield Zoo [email protected] Justin Eckelberry Zoo Atlanta [email protected] Jessie Eckroad Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center [email protected] Stephanie Edlund Understanding Parrots Korpdalen [email protected] Matt Edmonds Wonders of Nature [email protected] Amanda Egen Philadelphia Zoo [email protected] Brittany Ellsaesser Animal Behavior & Conservation Connections [email protected] Tricia Emrich Disney's Animal Kingdom [email protected] Katie Fallon Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia [email protected] Michelle Ferguson Brevard Zoo [email protected] Dara Flannery San Diego Zoo Safari Park [email protected] Debbie Foster Parrot Ps and Qs [email protected] Kimberly Fukuda Monterey Bay Aquarium [email protected] Amy Gaffan San Francisco Zoo [email protected] Sarah Gemmer Buffalo Zoo [email protected] Susan Gerros The Aquarium of the Pacific [email protected] Sarah Gilmore Michigan Avian Experience [email protected] Carey Goedel Minnesota Zoo [email protected] LeeAnn Goette Little Rock Zoo [email protected] Natalie Gray Ojai Raptor Center [email protected] Michelle Greiner [email protected] Teri Grendzinski National Aviary [email protected] Nichole Grosser The Phoenix Zoo [email protected] Lydia Hall America's Teaching Zoo [email protected] Linda Halle Dolphin Research Center [email protected] Caitlin Halligan Academy of Natural Science, Drexel University [email protected] Tina Hein Pacific Northwest Raptors Ltd. [email protected] Connie Hendrix Wildbird Rescue Inc of Wichita Falls Texas [email protected] David Hollaway McDowell Environmental Center [email protected] Victoria Howard Upstate Birds of Prey [email protected] Laura Huculak Earth Rangers [email protected] Rob Hults Open Door Bird Sanctuary [email protected] Amy Hults Open Door Bird Sanctuary [email protected] Charlee Jackson Oregon Coast Aquarium [email protected] Chris Jenkins Natural Encounters Inc. [email protected] Meghan Jensen West Virginia University [email protected] Scott Jones Gulf World [email protected] Erin Katzner The Peregrine Fund [email protected] Francie Krawcke Michigan Avian Experience [email protected] Joe Krumrie Falconer [email protected] Abigail Krumrie Falconer [email protected] Sarah Kucharski Saint Louis Zoo [email protected] Josh Kuszmaul Raptor Hallow Sanctuary [email protected] Kit Lacy Cascades Raptor Center [email protected] Shannon LaMonica Oregon Zoo [email protected] Christina Lavellee Zoo Atlanta [email protected] Emma Lawlor America's Teaching Zoo [email protected] Heather Lay Denver Zoo [email protected] Phung Luu Animal Behavior & Conservation Connections [email protected] Richard Macauley America's Teaching Zoo (Moorpark College) [email protected] Loy Maierhauser Montana Raptor Conservation Center [email protected] Cassie Malina Natural Encounters Inc. [email protected] Steve Martin Natural Encounters Inc. [email protected] Carol McCorkle Avian Reconditioning Center [email protected] Sarah McCrory North Carolina Zoo [email protected] Paula McNeil Watkins Nature Center MNCPPC [email protected] Melinda Mendolusky Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo [email protected] Pam Midwood Chessington World of Adventures [email protected] Dave Miller Disney's Animal Kingdom [email protected] Leia Minch American Bald Eagle Foundation [email protected] Natalie Mong Upstate Birds of Prey [email protected] Ana Morales [email protected] Gareth Morgan African Lion Safari [email protected] Corina Newsome Nashville Zoo [email protected] Lyndsay Newton Zoo Atlanta [email protected] Eric Novales [email protected] Jordan O'hara Grey Snow Eagle House [email protected] Maureen O'Keefe Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium [email protected] Heather Olson Oregon Coast Aquarium [email protected] Joseph Parsons Cape May County Park & Zoo [email protected] Sheri Pieloch Dolphin Research Center [email protected] Monica Pittman The Peregrine Fund [email protected] Nicky Plaskitt Paradise Wildlife Park [email protected] Kimberly Poisson A2 Raptor Rescue [email protected] Kelly Pollard National Aviary [email protected] Sid Price Avian Ambassadors [email protected] Caitlin Quilter Little Rock Zoo [email protected] Robyn Radcliffe Pacific Northwest Raptors [email protected] Darcy Richardson Kansas City Zoo [email protected] Alison Rihs Nashville Zoo [email protected] Geoff Roberts Professional Member [email protected] Armando Rodriguez Dolphin Research Center [email protected] Nancy Rouas Petting Zoo 2 U [email protected] Adam Rouas Petting Zoo 2 U [email protected] Jessica Ruiz Grey Snow Eagle House [email protected] Bria Rydzewski North Carolina Zoo [email protected] Miguel Santos Zoomarine Portugal [email protected] Elise Schuler Raptor Education Group Inc [email protected] David Scott, DVM Carolina Raptor Center [email protected] Jan Shaw [email protected] Robin Shewokis The Leather Elves [email protected] Laura Siegel WildCare Inc. [email protected] Selena Silvester Pacific Northwest Raptors [email protected] Kelsey Smith Nashville Zoo [email protected] Rachel Spagnola Hawk Mountain Sanctuary [email protected] Meghan Sparkman Center For Birds of Prey [email protected] Jon Spero African Lion Safari [email protected] Tim Steinmetz Kansas City Zoo [email protected] Kimberly Stroud Ojai Raptor Center [email protected] Maddison Syberg Saint Louis Zoo [email protected] Courtney Taylor Central Florida Zoo [email protected] Andrea Theodosopoulos Wings of the Dawn [email protected] Kyra Thurow Greenville Zoo [email protected] Kirsti Tranoris Naples Zoo [email protected] Taylor Tvede ABQ BioPark Zoo [email protected] Adrienne Umpstead Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium [email protected] Kelly Van Booven Cleveland Metroparks Zoo [email protected] Will Vaughn Raptor Hallow Sanctuary [email protected] April Vautrinot Maymont Foundation [email protected] Catherine Vine The Philadelphia Zoo [email protected] Bethany Vlaming Toronto Zoo [email protected] RIo Vogt Ojai Raptor Center [email protected] Seth Wagner Woodland park Zoo [email protected] Monty Wallace South Carolina Aquarium [email protected] Jennifer Westhoff Raptor Hill Falconry and Wildlife Sanctuary [email protected] Spencer Williams American Eagle Foundation [email protected] Jacque Williamson Brandywine Zoo [email protected] Gregory Wojtera Masters Of The Skies [email protected] Ann Wookey Columbus Zoo and Aquarium [email protected] Lacey Zeno San Diego Zoo Safari Park [email protected]