AZA Ungulate TAGs
2015 Midyear Meeting

Held in conjunction with the AZA Mid-Year Meeting
21-23 March 2015
Hosted by the Riverbanks Zoo, Columbia SC

Pre-conference Behavior Management Workshop

This ungulate behavior management workshop is facilitated by Darren Minier (Oakland Zoo), which focusing on applied behavior in managed ungulate systems, featuring a lecture, round table discussions, and paper presentations. Through understanding and influencing behavior through the framework of β€œABC Analysis” (looking at all behavior as Antecedent, Behavior, and Consequence), the goal is to take a positive approach to behavior management - not looking at how to avoid a negative or undesired behavior, but instead focusing on how to achieve desired behavior.

Following the initial presentation, attendees will work on a difficult, β€œreal life” case submitted by participants. Each group will problem-solve their case together, identifying solutions for this real life challenge of ungulate behavior management, and then share their case(s) and solutions with the room.

The second half of the day includes presentations from workshop attendees, covering ungulate behavior management success stories, interesting case studies, behavior management focused research projects, or ungulate behavior management innovations!  Be inspired by your esteemed peers!

Hoof Mapping & Hoof Trimming Workshop

Maintaining exotic equid’s feet in a captive environment can be challenging.  The amount of time between trims, the existence of hoof distortions due to extended trimming periods, and lameness or pathology problems are all circumstances that add difficulty to the task.  The Equine Lameness Prevention Organization farriers, in cooperation with the Denver Zoo, worked diligently for several years to not only develop a safe and effective approach to trimming exotic equids, but also conducted a yearlong study on using external hoof references to locate internal anatomy without the need for radiographs.  This workshop will go into the β€œhoof mapping” research product in great detail and give you the practical information required to accurately locate the distal phalanx or coffin bone within the hoof capsule of your exotic equids without that added cost and time required to take radiographs.  From there, the workshop will cover the basic hoof trimming protocol used to eliminate pathology-causing hoof capsule distortions and maintain well balanced, properly functioning hooves.  This workshop will help exotic equid caretakers and hoof care providers a useful set of guidelines that will ultimately reduce the time required to keep the animals anesthetized, reduce the number of trims required per year, and decrease the instances of foot related lameness issues. Riverbanks Zoo has graciously provided working space at the zoo, and the farriers are donating their time.

Schedule
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM- Lectures (Powerpoint)
                                       - Hoof Mapping Research Project
                                       - Trimming Protocol for Exotic Equids
    12:00 PM – 1:00 PM - LUNCH
     1:00 PM – 3:30 PM - Hands-On Mapping & Trimming of Cadaver Feet

TAG Meeting Presentations

AZA Ungulate TAG Chair Briefings

TAG Initiative Updates from 2014

Reports from the Field

Annual Ungulate Research Symposium

Ungulate Husbandry, Enrichment & Training Session