Behavioral Husbandry Best Practices for Your Animal Welfare Program

March 3 - April 14, 2022 from 2:00-4:00PM (ET)

Virtual Course Overview

Advances in zoo and aquarium professional standards have resulted in the need to better develop animal welfare programs that include animal behavior. Behavioral husbandry has evolved significantly over the last two decades and these programs must be integrated into an animal welfare program. In this course, current trends for behavioral husbandry programs will be discussed as a contributing factor to an institution’s holistic approach to animal welfare. This virtual course is a collaboration of instructors from four of AZA’s courses that include a focus on behavior and welfare: Animal Welfare: Evidence-Based Management; Managing Enrichment and Training Programs; Animal Training Applications, and Environmental Enrichment in Zoos and Aquariums. The diversity of instructors will provide a unique and well-rounded perspective on behavioral husbandry and welfare for participants.

This course will meet weekly for seven-afternoon sessions, March 3rd through April 14th, for 2-hour live course sessions via Zoom. Discussion, homework and other resources between courses will be hosted on Google Classroom.

Course Objectives

After completing this course, students will better understand:

AZA accreditation standards as they relate to welfare, enrichment and training
The value of integrating a behavioral husbandry program into a welfare program
New approaches to enrichment that enhance welfare through experiences
The direct benefits of animal training to the welfare of animals.
The role of culture and staff training in a successful animal welfare and behavioral husbandry program

Instructors

Hollie Colahan, ‎Vice President of Living Collections - Birmingham Zoo
Steve Martin, President and CEO - Natural Encounters, Inc.
Jill Mellen, Retired Education & Science Director - Disney's Animal Kingdom
Angela Miller, Zoological Manager of Behavioral Husbandry - Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Beth Posta, Curator of Behavioral Husbandry - Toledo Zoo
Ken Ramirez, Executive Vice President and Chief Training Officer - Karen Pryor Clicker Training
Michelle Skurski, Zoological Manager of Behavioral Husbandry - Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Tim Sullivan, Curator of Behavioral Husbandry - Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield Zoo
Greg Vicino, Curator of Applied Animal Welfare - San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Is This Course Right for You?

This course is designed for zoo and aquarium professionals who have a role in any capacity of a behavioral husbandry program and/or welfare program.

For information regarding our code of conduct, registration, and refund policies, please visit our Professional Development Course Policies page.

Questions? For additional details please contact the AZA Professional Development Department.