Animal Keeper's Association of Africa

ICZ/AAZK CONFERENCE – 24th to 29th September 2009 CONFERENCE “ONE WORLD, ONE ZOO”

This conference was a joint conference: the 3rd International Congress on Zoo Keeping and the 36th American Association of Zoo Keepers National Conference. The conference was attended by 400 delegates from 24 different countries around the world and hosted by Woodlands Park Zoo in Seattle, USA. Visits to the this zoo, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, and the ice breaker at Seattle Aquarium were highlights of the conference.

It is difficult not to get passionate when surrounded by an amazing group of people doing such incredible work on the ground in zoos worldwide and in the wild for very serious conservation issues. I learnt so much from the other conference delegates. The polar bear reports at the conference really affected me and I was wondering to myself "How does a girl from Africa get involved with an animal that lives in icy regions?" and then someone got up and presented on how tree planting affects carbon emissions which affects ice which affects polar bears!  That was just one small inspiration I came away with, there are many more. I got excited about bears and wolves over there the way visitors here get excited about rhinos and elephants.

2012 will be happening in Singapore. Exciting times and opportunities are ahead for the zoo community as well as loads of hard work to find our way back to living respectfully on our precious planet. I would recommend this conference to everyone no matter what your specialty or focus is.