As a long time marine mammal trainer and educator, Madelynn Hettiger is the current Board President for the International Marine Animal Trainers' Association (www.IMATA.org). She discusses the ways in which the organization works behind the scenes to assist trainers with networking, career development, and when necessary, during challenging times like COVID, employment interruptions from severe storms and more. Her goal is to increase collaborations among training professionals and trade groups, improve animal welfare through modern training principles, and to increase transparency in all facets of the organization.

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Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski is the founder and director of the Dolphin Communications Project and has been studying dolphin behavior and communication since 1990, with a focus on tactile, behavioral and acoustic signals employed by dolphins as they share information with each other and across groups. Her husband John Anderson is a veteran documentary filmmaker with nearly 40 years focused on the coastal and offshore marine environment, with 25 years dedicated to conducting marine-related film and video productions. Together, this duo conduct and document small cetacean research and promote conservation efforts with the help of student participants as part of a citizen scientist eco-tourism model.

Animal Care Software

On this our 400th episode of Zoo Logic, we are joined by Chris Dold, DVM, chief zoological officer for SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. While many are familiar with his veterinary career with the US Navy marine mammal program and later SeaWorld of Florida, Chris began his career as a trainer for Dolphin Quest. He discusses his role moving up the ranks to eventually lead the zoological program for one of the largest collections in the world. In addition, as the current board chair for the Association of Zoo and Aquariums he describes some of the opportunities for the greater zoo and aquarium community in areas such as increasing regional and global collaborations, addressing the well being of care givers, aligning animal care standards across regions, and the continued relevance of modern zoological parks.

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