AZA Professional Development: IRK course draws zoo and aquarium professionals from U.S., Canada, Chile, Spain, and Singapore

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums Institutional Records Keeping course this week shared best practices in capturing — and using – information critical to caring for individual animals and groups of species.  Participants included curators, registrars, keepers, and veterinarians, from zoos and aquariums in the U.S., Canada, Chile, Spain, and Singapore.

Matt Seguin, curator of husbandry and records for Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, provided instruction in records keeping for aquariums, including tracking fluctuations in water quality and temperature. Lynne McDuffie of Disney’s Animal Kingdom/The Seas, Stephanie Eller of Philadelphia Zoo, and Brigid Randle of The Living Desert, led the AZA course with support from Species360 member support and training professionals Josh Courteau, Adrienne Miller, and Elisabeth Hunt. Sessions cover standards of practice, animal permit and shipping, data entry standards, and organizational information workflow management.