This episode, through daily live recordings, features a recap of the 2026 ABMA-IAATE Annual Joint Conference (March 30-April 2, 2026) hosted by Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio, United States. Each day of the conference, one of the presenters for the day discusses their presentation and other learning that impacted them.

Day 1: Brett Williams, North Carolina Zoo, United States

Day 2: Tzu Ying Lee, Mandai Wildlife Group, Singapore

Day 3: Tom Morath, Hawk Conservancy Trust & Nature’s A Hoot Podcast, United Kingdom

If you are an ABMA member be sure to log in to AnimalProfessional.com to watch most of the presentations from the 2026 conference. For questions or suggestions about the podcast email abc@theabma.org.

To purchase Podcast Merchandise visit the ABMA online store at: https://www.sawdustandinkapparel.com/abma26

Let's talk some training and banter about behavior!

8:40 Day One Recap: Brett Williams, North Carolina Zoo

24:50 Day Two Recap: Tzu Ying Lee, Mandai Wildlife Group

36:00 Day Three Recap: Tom Morath, Hawk Conservancy Trust & Nature’s a Hoot Podcast

This episode continues on "The Behaviors of..." series which dives into the people side of the animal care field. This episode, is a live panel recording from the 2026 ABMA-IAATE Joint Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States with live submitted questions from conference attendees. The panelists discuss “The Behaviors of Partnering for Success” and give advice for both formal leadership and frontline staff. Among other topics asked by the live audience, the panelists discuss what it means to be a good teammate, setting up systems for success, how to “disagree well”, and how leadership and staff can partner together for success. The panelist are Chris Jenkins (Virginia Zoo in Norfolk), Cinnamon Eubanks (Saint Louis Zoo - Forest Park Campus), Kit Lacy (Cascades Raptor Center) and Erin Katzner (World Parrot Trust). For questions or suggestions about the podcast email ⁠⁠⁠abc@theabma.org⁠⁠⁠

• 6:20 What does “Partnering for Success” look like in the animal care field?

• 10:55 What is the difference between avian and mammalian trainers?

• 16:25 From a leadership perspective, what does it look like to partner for success with your staff?

• 25:05 Advice for staff to have a discussion about partnering with their leadership on a project or initiative

• 33:30 Advice for when there is resistance to change because what happens now “works”

• 43:00 Advice for disagreeing well

• 51:35 Setting up a departmental system for success

• 1:00:10 Advice for leaders to define roles and staff to work within those roles

• 1:09:40 Advice when collaboration with a peer isn’t reciprocated

• 1:16:10 The behaviors of a good teammate

• 1:21:55 What changes or advancements are the panelists most excited for and how can leadership and staff work together to achieve that goal

To commemorate the 75th episode of the podcast, a special guest panel discuss current progressive practices in enrichment and the future of innovative enrichment strategies. The panel consists of Nicki Boyd (San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance), Rick Hester (Cheyenne Mountain Zoo & BehaviorWorks), and Elly Neumann (Jerusalem Zoo). The discussion starts with looking to nature to inform enrichment and using that knowledge to create environments that are responsive to the animals’ experience. Next, the panel discusses strategies for setting up an enrichment program for success. The panel also answers listeners questions about aggression and the evolution of audio enrichment. The episode ends with looking towards the future with the role of animal personality in enrichment and innovative ways to implement a free operant strategy for enrichment. Instead of a "Training Tale" to end the episode, each panelist gives their best advice for taking your enrichment to new heights. For questions or suggestions about the podcast or to ask any of the panelists a question email ⁠abc@theabma.org⁠

For more information on the ABMA’s virtual conference visit this link: ⁠⁠https://www.theabma.org/virtual-conference⁠

• 4:35 Introduction to panelists

• 8:00 The focus on the animals’ experience and creating a new system

• 17:10 Updating the animals’ environment

• 24:10 How to look to nature to inform enrichment

• 26:40 How can we set up keepers for success when it comes to planning, implementing, and tracking enrichment

• 43:40 If an animal is displaying aggressive behaviors towards enrichment, can that impact the animal’s behavior outside of interactions with enrichment?

• 51:15 The role individual animal personality plays in enrichment

• 59:40 Free Operant Enrichment

• 1:07:45 The evolution of “audio” enrichment