In October AES Board Members hit the road for two, very important conferences in the United States and Canada.
First, AES Founder and President, Linda Reifschneider met Vice President, Liz Beem in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to attend the first, in-person Elephant Managers Association (EMA) Conference in the two plus years since COVID-19 began. While the EMA held excellent virtual conferences in 2020 and 2021, there is nothing quite like this gathering when you can sit down and share elephant stories (and maybe a drink or two – after all it was Milwaukee).
There were a number of newer attendees, many of them presenting quality papers on elephant care and research. Linda and Liz were privileged to present AES’ latest work and upcoming projects to the audience and, as an added bonus, share a special, surprise tribute video to Linda on the occasion of her 80th birthday. To see this video, click here.
Linda with Cincinnati Zoo Elephant Manager & EMA Vice President, Cecil Jackson, Jr.
Susan from the Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens with Liz on EMA Zoo Day
We would like to thank the staff from the Milwaukee County Zoo for welcoming everyone and being incredible hosts after a lot of planning and a pandemic. Our appreciation also goes to the Board and Committee Members from the Elephant Managers Association for once again providing an excellent opportunity to get together and work on improving the care of elephants across the globe and the skills and knowledge of caregivers.
Immediately following the close of the EMA Conference, Liz made her way to Buffalo, New York where she met up with AES Board Secretary, Mindy Ussrey. From here the two crossed the border into Toronto, Ontario, Canada to attend theAmerican Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK)Conference. This was the first time the AES Board has been able to attend this event and to say they were impressed is an understatement. While only there for a small bit of the Conference, Mindy and Liz participated in AAZK’s Conservation Rally on Friday night, informative paper sessions on Saturday and an incredible day enjoying the sites of the Toronto Zoo on Sunday.
Mindy & Liz (center) with Madeline & Laura from the High Forest AAZK Chapter in Tennessee
Liz & MIndy (back) with Michelle & Kelly from the Georgia AAZK Chapter in Atlanta
We’ve appreciated the passion and dedication of AAZK Members for a while, given their participation in many of our fundraising efforts over the years, and Mindy and Liz were thrilled to meet up with some of AES’ supporters who were in attendance. It was also terrific to make new connections for future partnerships.
Many thanks go to the Toronto Zoo for their hospitality and to the AAZK for putting together an incredible event providing tools and knowledge to Zoo Keepers and setting conservation action as a standard in this profession.We look forward to participating in these events again in 2023!
To learn more about the Elephant Managers Association, click here.
To learn more about the American Association of Zoo Keepers, click here.