Page 16 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

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VetBooks.ir Joshua M. Plotnik is a comparative psychol- cation programmes. Previously, Ken served
as EVP of animal care and training at
ogist and conservation behaviour researcher
who has studied elephant cognition since
eran of animal care and training, Ramirez is a
2005. Recently, Josh has been working in Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. A 40+ year vet-
Thailand to understand how research on ani- biologist and behaviourist who has worked
mal thinking can be applied directly to the with many zoological organisations and dog
mitigation of human/wildlife conflict. He is a programmes throughout the world. He
faculty member in the Department of hosted two successful seasons of the TV
Psychology and the animal behaviour and series Talk to the Animals. Ramirez authored
conservation programme at Hunter College, the book Animal Training: Successful Animal
and in the cognitive and comparative psy- Management through Positive Reinforcement
chology graduate programme at the Graduate in 1999 and Better Together: The Collected
Center of the City University of New York. Wisdom of Modern Dog Trainers in 2017. He
He is also the founder and executive director taught a graduate course on animal training
of Think Elephants International, a US non‐ at Western Illinois University for 20 years. He
profit charity working to bridge the gaps currently teaches at ClickerExpo every year,
between research, education, and conserva- offers hands on courses and seminars at the
tion by using elephants as a conduit. Dr Karen Pryor National Training Center (the
Plotnik was previously a Newton interna- Ranch), and teaches online courses through
tional fellow at the University of Cambridge, Karen Pryor Academy.
and has earned degrees from both Emory
University (MA and PhD) and Cornell Marty Sevenich‐MacPhee is an animal
University (BS). behaviour and husbandry professional who
has devoted her career to animal training,
Gary Priest ‘Growing up on a ranch in enrichment, and welfare. Since earning her
Southern California, I have been around ani- bachelor’s degree from the University of
mals all my life. For as long as I can remem- Illinois in 1984, Marty has held leadership
ber, I have been fascinated by the ways both positions responsible for programming in
animals and people learn.’ For over four dec- behavioural husbandry at Chicago’s Brookfield
ades, Gary Priest has enjoyed a career that Zoo and Walt Disney World. In addition to
has taken him all over the world to work with her contributions to the betterment of animal
all types of animals and train all sorts of peo- husbandry, Marty also specialises in the edu-
ple to understand and use operant condition- cation of animal trainers as an active consult-
ing to improve animal care and welfare. A ant and is the author of publications on animal
senior manager with San Diego Zoo Global husbandry. Marty has also served as a board
for 35 years, Priest is curator of animal care member and/or on committees for IMATA,
training with San Diego Zoo Global Academy IAATE, and AZA. She has been an instructor
www.sdzglobalacademy.org. Gary received for various AZA courses on training and
his BA (natural science) from Western enrichment of animals that include managing
Illinois University and his MA (management) animal enrichment and training programmes,
from National University in San Diego. crocodilian biology and management, and
Gary’s patient wife has managed to expertly animal training applications in zoos and
shape his behaviour from their first encoun- aquariums.
ter at 14.
Andrew Smith’s main areas of expertise are
Ken Ramirez is the EVP and chief training behavioural ecology and primate colour
officer for Karen Pryor Clicker Training vision. His work looks at how animals, from
where he helps to oversee the vision, devel- aardvarks to goldfish, interact with each
opment and implementation of training edu- other and their environment. Much of his