Designing habitats that work
Melody presented at the AICAS conference
By presenting at the Iberian Association of Wild Animal Caretakers (AICAS) ninth Congress, Melody:
- Encouraged empathy: by asking "do you know what the animals in your care do, while you're not there?". Some participants noted that they had not thought about this much before.
- Made learning and interconnection accessible: by presenting in Spanish more animal caregivers were able to consider the individual's needs of their animals, alongside their own wellbeing needs. Making important links between quality of work and quality of life for both.
- Supported creativity: because despite the shared challenges of limited time and money, people started to ask...
"How can we re-design a habitat for it to be functional and positive from the animal’s perspective?"
Find out by listening to the podcast
Last week, The Animal Behaviour Management Alliance invited Sabrina to talk about animal wellbeing science and practice.
Sabrina shared her though...
It matters how you do things
Hello friend,
You might start to see some tiny tweaks...
We all get way too many emails. Inboxes fill up, emails get ignored and content can be overwhelming. But when you get a great email, it's really rather satisfying.
Something that is actually helpful, interesting and meaningful.
Now that sounds like an email worth writing and reading.
We want our emails to be useful. We hope they already are, but we're also in the business of continued improvement! So you might start to see some tweaks and changes as we experiment with what works best.
We just want to say that if there are bits you like, something you find useful, or parts that aren't so great, then please hit reply and share your story. This space is for you.
We're really glad you're here.
How we do things makes a difference
What difference can you make today?
It matters how you think
Melody is presenting a talk in Spanish at the Iberian Association of Wild Animal Caretakers (AICAS) ninth Congress meeting. Key takeawa...
Coming to the Conferences?
To do that, we all need to be sharing with and learning from others. Conferences are exciting places to do just that. Which is why we’re off to Ohio!
AnimalConcepts at AZA Conference
Consider the animals that you care for.
What do they do when you're not around to watch them?
We'll be presenting on this very topic at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Annual Conference hosted by Columbus Zoo. We'll explore techniques and technologies to improve the experience of animals overnight and throughout their lifespan. We're also presenting two posters covering human wellbeing and food sourcing practices within zoos.
AnimalConcepts at AAZK Conference
The Keynote: How do you care?
How do you care for yourself as an individual. At a leadership level. And as a whole team or organisation. How do you care with compassion and lead with purpose?
Our Keynote Speech at the Nationa...
Seminar in France on Take care to give care, Trainer-animal interactions & Respect as a transformative force
Seminar in France in French on Take care to give care: Prendre soin de soi pour prendre soin des autres
"I look forward to hearing Sabrina again inspire professionals to keep their own well-being part of the equation. I often see passionate professionals who get educated to do their job better with more knowledge in their field. They are aware it can drain a lot of their energy and influence how they practice; yet, so few of them have the tools and techniques to keep it up and be able to take care of themselves. Thus I look forward to hearing Sabrina again inspire them to keep their own well-being as part of the equation. Sabrina makes it a whole experience: not just a few words to cheer up, but another perspective for another lifestyle", say seminar organiser Ingrid Mulson from K9 voice.
En quoi consiste ces deux jours ?
Nous ne pouvons donner aux autres, et le faire durablement, que si nous aussi nous nous sentons bien. Pendant deux jours, Sabrina nous proposera des outils et d...
BIAZA Research Conference, Bodywork & SiP#160 Welfare assessment tools in zoos
Annual BIAZA Research Conference
Recently BIAZA held its 25th Annual Research Conference, with many talks and poster presentations from professionals from the field. Max Norman, Animal Welfare and Conservation Coordinator at AnimalConcepts attended the in-person event at Dudley Zoo & Castle in the United Kingdom.
"With a topic of Peering into the past and looking to the future it was excellent to hear much reflection on best practice and how we can do better for animals and for people for the future", says Max Norman.
The team at AnimalConcepts presented a poster on traditional management practices and facility design with suggested improvements in non-public animal management areas, often called “back-of-house”, in zoos, sanctuaries, and research facilities. Such improvements are integral to enclosure design that aims to optimise animal wellbeing on a 24/7 basis, promote positive affective states and enhance quality of life.
You can freely download the poster presentation HERE a...
See you at the AAZK conference in Akron, Ohio - USA?
The Akron Zoo Chapter of AAZK invites you to the 48th Annual AAZK National Conference which is taking place from 17-21 September 2023 in Akron, Ohio, USA. The conference also includes a trip to the Akron Zoo, where you'll come nose-to-nose with more than 1,000 animals from around the world, such as tigers, snow leopards, red pandas, penguins, Komodo dragons and so many more!
"The Akron Zoo Chapter of AAZK is thrilled to have Sabrina Brando join the AAZK National Conference in September of this year. The theme of this conference is focused toward 'the heart' of animal care, which lines up perfectly with AnimalConcept's purpose. With Sabrina's work in human well-being and geriatric animal care, her experiences will be an invaluable contribution to the program." says Kristen Scaglione, Conference Co-Chair.
There are also other trips possible to explore for example Cleveland Metroparks Zoo or go on safari in The Wilds. The program is fully booked with papers and posters, as well as fun a...
