AES Building Relationships at AAZK 2023

Recently, two of our board members made the trek to Akron, Ohio for the American Association of Zookeepers (AAZK) Conference. This year we joined the AAZK as an official Conservation Partner. Many attendees to the conference stopped by the AES exhibitor table to chat and purchase some merchandise.  

At the conference our board members met with the AAZK board to discuss opportunities and additional ways to collaborate. We are  excited to grow our relationship with AAZK! 

A huge trunks-up to the AAZK board of directors and the Akron AAZK Chapter for their great hospitality and a successful conference! 
 

AES Directors, Mary and Mindy, making connections at Asian Elephant Support's conference table

AES Becomes a Conservation Partner with AAZK

Asian Elephant Support is pleased to announce that we were recently awarded Conservation Partnership status by the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK). AAZK is an organization dedicated to the development of animal care professionals, providing resources and opportunities for members to enhance their skills and knowledge in the field of zoo keeping. The organization is also a tremendous supporter of conservation projects around the globe, running successful programs like Bowling for Rhinos – which focuses on the conservation of the five species of rhinoceros found in both Africa and Asia, and Trees for You and Me which promotes carbon emissions reductions through various efforts including education and reforestation projects.

AES Board Directors with High Forest AAZK Chapter Members at the 2022 AAZK Conference in Toronto
 

Current AES Board Members, Lindsey Eagan, Liz Beem and Mindy Ussrey will attest that their love for elephants and passion to help conserve the species started when they were Keepers at their respective Zoos. AES has enjoyed the support of so many individual Zoo Keepers and AAZK Chapters across the United States as they helped to spread the word and support AES’s fundraising campaigns, like Pizza for Pachyderms over the years.

With this new partnership we hope to be able to reach out to more AAZK Chapters and animal care professionals for support with projects that promote our mission to care for and conserve elephants in Asian range countries.

We wish to thank the AAZK Conservation Committee for the confidence they have expressed in our work over the last decade and a half by awarding us this Conservation Partner status. And we look forward to working with AAZK and all of its Members to deliver a better future for Asian elephants.  

For more information about AAZK and the tremendous work they do, please visit their website - www.aazk.org. If you are a Zoo Keeper and belong to a local AAZK chapter, please email us to discuss more opportunities to work together.

There and Back Again

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.

Hoof Knife Campaign Results

In October 2012, Asian Elephant Support (AES) and the Elephant Managers Association (EMA) joined forces to raise money to purchase local traditional knives (khukri) for mahouts (elephant keepers) in Assam, India.  These knives are an integral part of the mahouts' daily lives as they use them to cut fodder for elephants and trim the elephants' nails or pads.

AES and the EMA would like to sincerely thank everyone for their generous donations to the “Hoof Knives for Mahouts - India” project. This program raised $1,755.52 to purchase these local knives for mahouts to enable them to improve the care of their elephants. A special THANK YOU to the elephant staff and AAZK members at the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY, who raised $720.52 for this project!    

Regardless of what job you are doing, everyone can appreciate having the right tools to get it done. This program is a great way to demonstrate that every donation, big or small, can make a difference for elephants and the people that care for them, in Asian range countries.

With your help we are making a difference! Stay tuned for more updates from the field on this project.

Dr. Sarma teaching mahouts how to use the khukri