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SNEAALAS/NEBAALAS Joint Summer Fun

  • 28 Aug 2018
  • 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • Roger Williams Park Zoo
  • 13

Registration


Registration is closed

SNEAALAS and NEBAALAS

CELEBRATING SUMMER WITH A JOINT MEETING AT ROGER WILLIAMS PARK ZOO!!!

RAIN or SHINE 

WHEN:                          TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018

REGISTRATION COST:     $ 20.00 FOR THE DAY (members)!!! 

Non-members may attend for $30

 

  Fee includes zoo admittance, buffet lunch and animal shows           

(The behind the scenes tour for 27 people will be decided by a special lottery!)

           

                           AGENDA

10:00 AM –5:00 PM VISIT the ZOO!

12:00 PM—2:00 PM BUFFET LUNCH— EDUCATION CENTER

 2:00 PM—3:30 PM BEHIND THE SCENES AT   THE ZOO! 

 2:30 PM—3:30 PM ANIMAL EXPERIENCES

 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM (two 30 minute talks)

                                                                  Zoo – TRAINING FROM A ZOO PERSPECTIVE  
                                                                   Lab – VALIDATING ENRICHMENT
!

                                                5:00 PM … Zoo closes … good bye until next year!

ANIMAL TRAINING IN A ZOOLOGICAL PARK

Animal training in a zoological park poses a unique set of circumstances for the organization. Medical care of animals as small as rats and as large as elephants each present different training needs. In addition to medical care, the general husbandry of the animals can also be enhanced by training. Utilizing classical and operant conditioning techniques, zookeepers have developed several training initiatives that aid in the care of all the animals.

PAMELA JONES, who joined the Roger Williams Park Zoo in 2013, oversees and supervises a team of zookeepers, lead keepers, interns and volunteers as well as the Zoo’s behavioral husbandry program.  Formerly she served as the Natural Encounters Supervisor as the Houston Zoo in Texas where she managed the daily husbandry of a wide variety of reptiles, birds, invertebrates and mammals.  Jones also spent six years as an animal keeper at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

VALIDATING ENRICHMENT

Environmental enrichment is provided to laboratory animals in order to enhance animal well-being and promote species-typical behaviors.  Animal enrichment has become a huge industry with numerous options for all species, in addition to the many ideas for recycling and repurposing items for enrichment that are shared on the internet. But what enrichment should you choose, and how do you know if it is ‘working’?  Some enrichment options may not contribute to an animal’s well-being, while others could even have a negative effect on the animal or to the scientific data.  This presentation will discuss how to define goals for enrichment and how to validate that the enrichment provided is effective and safe for both animals and study integrity.

MELISSA DRAGON is a Global Trainer in Comparative Medicine at Pfizer Inc.   She has over 15 years of experience in laboratory animal science working at contract research organizations, academic institutions and the pharmaceutical industry in a number of roles such as Facility Group Leader, Trainer, Enrichment Coordinator and Behavioral Management Specialist.  She has worked with most laboratory animals including rodents, rabbits, dogs, swine, livestock and nonhuman primates and provided training to researchers, husbandry and veterinary staff.  Melissa earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biotechnology from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute and is certified as a Laboratory Animal Technologist and a Certified Manager of Animal Resources.  She is passionate about improving animal well-being through decision-making based on scientific analysis of stress and animal behavior, and through education of animal users.


   

 

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