I found the course to be very engaging, well presented, and informative. In particular, the area of contingency plans was very enlightening.

Safety procedures and standards are of utmost importance in our industry from many standpoints.  We have to ensure the safety of our employees, the public, our personal safety, not to mention that of the animals.  Many of us feel that we have a thorough plan in place with regards to safety procedures at our facilities.  As an educator with a traveling zoo as well as my own facility, I know the extreme importance of safety. The safety standards, ideas and procedures in this course were extremely well presented and were very detailed.  More importantly, it brought to light aspects of emergency preparedness that are not often considered.    

Contingency plans for emergency preparedness are not emphasized enough in our workplace.   After taking this course, I now have a different view of my current plan in place, and I see where the new information learned can be put to great use at my facility.

The topic of contingency planning covered in this Feline Husbandry Course can be applied to all species of animal care.  I believe that the key principles from this course could be adapted for different types of animals (ie. birds, reptiles, mammals, etc), and should be a mandatory course for any professional zoo keeper, wildlife educator, or any person wanting to own an exotic animal. 

The knowledge I gained was well worth the time spent at the conference and will be worked into my current employee training program. I feel that everyone who attended the course, regardless of their position, walked away with valuable information.

Joe Fortunato
AKA - Jungle Joe—Pet Detective
Director, Animal Junction, Inc