What is the Animal Training Committee?

The American Association of Zookeepers (AAZK, Inc.) formed the Animal Training Committee (ATC) in the year 2000 to provide animal behavior management resources to zoo professionals. The committee, originally referred to as the Animal Behavior Management Committee, changed its name 2004 for simplicity.

The six-person team consists of animal care professionals with a diversity of experiences in the area of animal behavior management. They have a passion for sharing the art and science of animal training with their colleagues. Since its inception, the committee has developed many resources and partnered with other animal training committees in the zoo community to streamline efforts. An ATC mission statement was recently developed to guide the committee in goals setting and implementation:

ATC Mission Statement

The AAZK Animal Training Committee strives to support the mission of AAZK, Inc. by providing learning opportunities for animal care professionals to facilitate the use of training methods to achieve behavior management goals.

Each committee resource is designed to address various aspects of this mission. Below is a list of committee resources and projects.

Resources:

• ADTF, Animal Training Section (AAZK, 2001)
• List of Training Terminology (AAZK/AZA Behavioral Advisory Group, 2003)
• Training & Enrichment Bibliography (AAZK ATC & Enrichment Committees, 2001)
• Training Workshops on Various Training Topics (AAZK National Conference Proceedings, 2001-2004)
• Articles and Committee Updates (Animal Keeper's Forum)
• www.aazk.org committee web pages (2002)

Projects:

• Partner with other committees to streamline resources and efforts
• Development of new workshops for the annual conference
• Development of training behavior lists for taxonomic groups
• Update the bibliography and resource lists over time
• Surveying the membership to meet needs
• Enhancement of this website

If you are interested in assisting Committee members with current projects, you may contact any of them listed below:

Tammy Root (Board Oversight) Indianapolis Zoo 1200 W. Washington St. Indianapolis, IN 46222	Angela Binney (Co-Chair) Disney's Animal Kingdom P.O. Box 10000 Lake Buena Vista, FL 32818
Kim Kezer (Co-Chair) Zoo New England One Franklin Park Rd. Boston, MA 02121	Tom Aversa Woodland Park Zoo 601 N. 59th St. Seattle, WA 98103
Jay Pratte Zoo Atlanta 800 Cherokee Ave Atlanta, GA 30315	Deana Walz Tracy Aviary 589 East 1300 South Salt Lake City, UT 84105
Jonathon Miot Lincoln Park Zoo 2001 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60614	Catherine Vine Philadelphia Zoo 3400 W. Girard Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19104
Beth Posta (Advisor) Toledo Zoo P.O. Box 140130 Toledo, OH 43614

Back to Committees