52nd Annual AAZK National Conference
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE COURSES
ADVANCED GREAT APE HUSBANDRY
More Apes Than You Can Handle
The goal of this course is for animal care staff seeking opportunities to learn advanced great ape husbandry practices. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is home to multiple iconic great ape species, including the Western Lowland Gorilla, Bornean Orangutan, and Bonobo (Chimpanzee will be touched on, but will not be a large focus of this course). This course will be taught by several members of our Congo Expedition department responsible for providing care to these great apes and discuss current training projects, medical care, group management, and their conservation efforts both on zoo grounds and around the globe. Topics include managing geriatric great apes, habitat modifications, human assisted rearing, cardiac health monitoring, social dynamics, and safety SOPs.
advance large african hoofstock husbandry
The goal of this course is to teach animal care staff that are interested in advancing their knowledge of large hoofstock management techniques, from daily husbandry to veterinary care. This course will have a large focus on giraffes, but will also touch on other species such as wildebeest, kudu, takin, oryx, and many more. Course instructors with include staff members at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and The Wilds, as well as Dr. Priya Bapodra, who will be sharing details about the zoo’s giraffe blood bank training and collection program. Keepers from The Wilds will be discussing how they provide top notch care in managing mixed species in open pasture settings over their 10,000 acres of restored prairie and grassland habitat. Other topics include ultrasound training, hoof care practices, shifting techniques for interdepartmental shared exhibit space, and ways to increase ungulate movement through diet and enrichment.
wellbeing: animals & humans
The goal of this course is to provide a comprehensive look at the Columbus Zoo’s animal wellbeing program and its applications towards the animal care program as well as the programs installed at the zoo to assist with keeper wellbeing. The wellbeing committee encompasses several branches, including but not limited to enrichment, training, habitat design, observation programs, and professional partnerships. Learn how to conduct wellbeing assessments that can be applied to multiple taxons, as well as how to gather data on species’ activity budgets through recordings and live sessions of animal behavior observations. This course will also focus on how to incorporate keeper wellbeing into multiple programs across your home zoo. Through creating programs with the assistance from GRAZE as well as creating our own belonging resource groups for Latina, LGBTQ+, etc. communities. Learn how both keeper and animal wellbeing can mirror each other and grow together.
2027 AAZK NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Registration opens on March 1, 2027.
