21- Elevating Elephant Programs with Gerry Creighton

Animal Training Fundamentals with Barbara Heidenreich

Elephants have captured the hearts of mankind for centuries, including the heart of Gerry Creighton, Operations Manager for Dublin Zoo and Elephant Care Consultant. As a consultant, Gerry has traveled the world bringing innovation, backed by science to create elephant programs that thrive. Gerry looks to the ethology of the species for inspiration and creating opportunities for elephants to learn from elephants. However implementing this requires a different approach to day-to-day care, herd structure and human interactions than may have been traditionally provided in past. The results of this work, numerous studies and the data are revealing tremendous positive impacts on animal welfare. Gerry’s passion for elephants and animal welfare is infectious, and the Dublin Zoo’s elephant program is an excellent example of what is possible. What an inspiring guest!