Ep34 Gerry Creighton on elephants learning from elephants, research, and a dynamic approach to elephant care and wellbeing

Gerry Creighton did not want to be anywhere else than at the zoo, working with and caring for animals, rising through the ranks to Zoo Operations Manager for animals and grounds in 2009. He worked at the Dublin Zoo, also together with his dad, for over 36 years. 

Gerry shares how he worked as a trainee keeper, before becoming a full-time zookeeper and Team Leader responsible for large apes, carnivores and elephants for nearly ten years before becoming Zoo Operations Manager for animals and grounds in 2009. 

Gerry shares details of the gorilla and mangabey habitat, will giant trees and natural vegetation, allowing the animals to browse as the seasons unfold. About the importance of natural substrates and activities that animals can engage in.

Gerry’s career has spanned several decades of exciting development, during which time Dublin Zoo has transformed from its Victorian beginnings in 1831 into a modern, vital and progressive European centre for conservation, education and animal husbandry.

Today the elephant facility is state of the art, and Gerry mentions that he is happy that is already outdated too, as there is always room for improvement, it is an ever-evolving process. He shares how many of the care efforts have and are tweaked through scientific input, how habitat features are adapted, food distributed, and more, depending on the animals' needs and preferences. 

Gerry talks about a wide variety of topics related to elephant care, how to deal with different social structures, how to move to different management styles, and the importance to acknowledge role models and elephants learning from elephants. 

Today Gerry operates through his own consulting company Global Elephant Care, a frequently invited speaker and holds an advisory role acting as elephant care and welfare consultant for many international zoos within Europe, Asia and North America.

Contact Gerry Creighton at Global Elephant Care [email protected] and on Facebook HERE

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