Today's episode is with Karen Fifield MNZM, the Chief Executive of Wellington Zoo in New Zealand, who shares the philosophy, experiences and insights of the zoo on animal welfare and care. About what leading zoos and aquariums are doing for animal welfare today.

The importance of social media to bring people with us to understand the work we are doing in zoos, as well as the importance of transparent messages, focusing on the visitor experience, and how we can work together with the staff and the public for animals and conservation.

Karen discussed the opportunities we have regarding animal welfare, as well as potential tensions with other goals such as conservation, education, research, and recreation, and animal welfare being the basis and being fundamental to all other programs. And the importance of continuous improvement, to do the research and ask 'Could we do this better?' To be thinking all the time, to do the best we can, to know that we have it right through continuous...

Over the years of working with animals, I was often asked, what my private formula for training animals was. It has been very difficult, to put it into words, but I came up with five concepts, which are the basis for all my interactions with animals. Plus, they do come in handy around humans too.

Patience

I learned to be the most patient person when working with an animal. I give them the time they need to react and understand what I am asking of them. Sometimes, I might also have to change my approach, because I might have done something leading to the opposite of what I was hoping for. From time to time it is also good to remember, to treat humans with as much patience, as I treat animals.
 

Body language

There are many things about my body language that can influence my interaction with an animal. One very important part of establishing a positive relationship is to be fully aware, of the way I move, my posture, my voice, and my facial expressions. During every interaction...

In this episode Heidi Quine, Bear & Vet Team Director Vietnam Animal Asia, talks about the work of Animals Asia, about bears, rescue, change, more bears, & hope!

How do you go about rescuing a bear, what happens on a farm and why? What is Animals Asia doing and how? Who are the bears at the sanctuaries, and how does the care staff work for them, managing over 200 bears!

Animals Asia's national and international heroes in the veterinary department and bear care specialists are working hand in hand with Government Partners to end the farming of bears in Vietnam.

Heidi shares a beautiful story of her favourite bear, Tuan, and how they rescued him from a farm, and to see him now in the sanctuary, it is everything that is right in the world, and his best friend Valerie.

Heidi also shares a beautiful story about James, and how she connected with him inspired by the work of the late Else Poulsen, asking "What are you trying to tell me bear? What do you need me to know?"

And then there...

In this episode, Dr. Heather Hill, Professor of Psychology, St. Mary's University, shares her research, experiences, pipe dreams, and stories about belugas, dolphins, and killer whales, including very exciting collaborative work on a stranded beluga calf. 

Heather has done welfare-related research on topics such as play, baby animals, mother-calf behaviour and development, including developmental aspects. Heather's research interests also include cognition, problem-solving, communication systems, and group formations. To understand what are animals doing in the wild, and how can we give them the best experience in human care, also using the information from the wild to shape care programs. 

Heather has worked with SeaWorld, and with many other facilities, on observational, cognition, and developmental studies among her many interests. 

Heather shares stories and work of her friend, mentor, colleague, and inspiration, the late Dr. Stan Kuczaj.

This podcast was recorded on...

The first podcast of AnimalConcepts is a special podcast. It is dedicated to our friend and colleague, the late Graham Law. This podcast is a conversation between AnimalConcepts & PAWS Director Sabrina Brando and Mark Kingston Jones, Co-Founder of Team Building with Bite, remembering the work, travel, and downtime with the kind, witty, always up for a joke and drink, and to animals committed Scotsman, of which he was very proud. 

Graham Law was Graham, and he was a husband, father, friend, and colleague. He was a visionary, an inspirator, joker, deep thinker, a poker & pusher to explore and be the best we can be, he was and is a legend.

Graham's thinking and ideas have brought so many changes in the animal care and welfare field, for bears, cats, birds, fishes, and others. Enrichment ideas such as the wobble tree, the pitfall feeder, the 'bear' basket, the swing pole feeder, and the feeding pole, are all among the many contributions he made. ...