31st Annual Elephant Manager's Association Conference

Hosted by the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

Thursday, Sept. 30 through Sunday, October 3

The 31st Annual Elephant Manager’s Association Conference could very well be one of the most important to date. In today’s internet age, elephant management is now a global effort, and this conference will feature presentations on elephant conservation and management partnerships and collaborations in the US and worldwide. Accomplishments and developments in breeding, husbandry and research, as well as challenges on many fronts, have laid the groundwork for interactive and information-rich sessions.

The conference will commence on Thursday, Sept. 30, with an icebreaker at the hotel, and conclude on Sunday evening, Oct. 3, with the “elephant olympics” and a savory barbecue and bonfire at the zoo’s 724-acre International Conservation Center. More details will follow in the EMA newsletter and web site, Connect, on Facebook, and via email.


Conference Location & Hotel Information

Holiday Inn-Allegheny Valley, RIDC
180 Gamma Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
Phone: 412-963-0600
Check-in after 3 p.m.
Check-out after noon

Attendees must make hotel reservations directly by calling the hotel and referencing the Pittsburgh Zoo - Elephant Managers Conference

Room rate is $93

Cut-off date for conference rate is: September 1, 2010

Looking for a conference roommate? Contact Terry De Iuliis for availabilities.


How to Register

Mail: Download the conference registration form here.

Online: EMA Online Registration

Have questions? Contact Terry De Iuliis at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium at 412-365-2500.


Conference Program

Thursday, Sept. 30

3-7 p.m. Registration
Board Room
6:30-8:30 p.m. Icebreaker
Carnegie Room (downstairs by pool)
Sponsored by Feld Entertainment
9:30-midnight Hospitality Suite
Room TBA

Friday, Oct. 1

7:30-noon Registration
Board Room
7:45-8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
Grand Ballroom, Salon A&B
Sponsored by the Cincinnati Zoo

Session 1 - Partnerships & Collaborations
Grand Ballroom, Salon A&B

8:30 a.m. Welcome & Introductions
Dr. Barbara Baker & Andrew Smith, President, EMA
8:40-10 a.m. Pittsburgh Zoo Partnerships Dr. Barbara Baker, President & CEO
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

Partnerships in Bull Facility Design and Management
Dr. Bill Foster, Executive Director
Birmingham Zoo

Update on the North American Population
Martha Fischer, SSP/TAG Chair
St. Louis Zoo

Elephant Management in European Zoos
Dr. Heiner Engel, Zoological Director
Hannover Zoo, Germany

Project Frozen Dumbo, ZooParc de Beauval & Pittsburgh Zoo
Dr. Thomas Hildebrandt, Head of Reproduction Management
Leibniz Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research, Germany

10-10:30 a.m. Coffee Break

Session 2 - Reproduction
Grand Ballroom, Salon A&B

10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Update on Reproductive Health Status of Asian and African elephants
in North America
Dr. Janine Brown, Reproductive Physiologist
National Zoo

Why Do Elephants Express Two LH Peaks? – Another Explanation
Dr. Imke Lueders
Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Germany  

New Aspects on Elephant Reproduction
Dr. Thomas Hildebrandt, Head of Reproductive Management
Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Germany

Births at Taronga Zoo, from Textbook to Miracle
Joel Kerr, Elephant Handler
Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Australia

First Time Mother and Calf That Would Not Nurse for 30 days
Trudy Williams, Elephant Handler, Ringling Center for Elephant Conservation, Florida

12:30 p.m. Break
1 p.m. Buses Leave for the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
1-3:30 p.m. Lunch & Zoo Tour

Session 3 - Media Relations
Water's Edge Hall, Pittsburgh Zoo

3:30-5:30 p.m. The Language of Leadership
Dr. Barbara Baker, President & CEO
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

Media and Media Workshops
Sally Wiggin, Television News Anchor
WTAE – TV

5:30 p.m. Reception
Water's Edge Hall
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
6:30 p.m. Dinner
Water's Edge Hall
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
Sponsored by Reinhart Food Service, great partners with the Pittsburgh Zoo
8:30/9 p.m. Buses back to hotel
9:30-midnight Hospitality Suite
Room TBA

Saturday, October 2

7:45-8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
Grand Ballroom, Salon A&B
Sponsored by the Cleveland Zoo

Session 4 - Veterinary
Grand Ballroom, Salon A&B

7:45-8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
Sponsored by the Cleveland Zoo
8-9:50 a.m. Update on the Elephant TB Guidelines and 2010 Testing
Dr. Denise Sofranko, Field Specialist for Elephants
USDA

Update on Elephant Endotheliotrophic Herpesviruses and Acute Hemorrhagic Disease
Dr. Gary Hayward, Laboratory Scientist
National Elephant Herpesvirus Lab, Johns Hopkins

EEHV: Brief Report of Two Cases at Saint Louis Zoo, with Priority to Preparing Elephants and Staff for an Event
Cory Nordin, Zoological Manager
St. Louis Zoo

Genetic Variability and Prevalence of Diseases Among Wild and Captive Elephants
Virginia Pearson, Guest Researcher
Princeton University

Surveying the Prevalence of Elephant Endotheliotrophic Herpesvirus in Captive Asian Elephant Breeding Programs
Crystal Eng
Texas A&M University

10-10:30 a.m. Coffee Break
Sponsored by the Oregon Zoo

Session 5 - Veterinary (cont.)
Grand Ballroom, Salon A&B

10:30 a.m.-noon Lumps and Bumps on Elephants
Dr. Ellen Wiedner, Director of Veterinary Services
Ringling Center for Elephant Conservation

The Method and Effectiveness of Liquid Nitrogen on Elephant Foot Sores
Gabe Kibe, Hoofstock Keeper
Denver Zoo

Special Delivery
Ron Ringer, Senior Keeper
San Diego Zoo

Technically Speaking, This is Our Training Program
Curtis Lehman, Animal Care Supervisor
San Diego Zoo

Berlin Zoo Elephants
Peter Ullman
California

Noon-1:30 p.m. Lunch
Sponsored by the Elephant Team at the Pittsburgh Zoo

Session 6 - Husbandry
Grand Ballroom, Salon A&B

1:30-3 p.m. Seasonal Heat Storage Variations in Exercising Asian Elephants: Thermal cost of Locomotion
Mike Rowe
Indiana State University

The Impact of a New Exhibit on the Activity Patterns of Female African Elephants at the Dallas Zoo
Nancy Scott, Research Biologist
Dallas Zoo

Elephants for Africa: Education Programmes for the Future of Botswana”s Wildlife
Dr. Kate Evans, Founder and Director
Elephants for Africa

Human – Elephant Conflict Coexistence
Heidi Riddle, Founder
Riddle's Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary

3 p.m. Break
3:30-5:30 p.m. Training Workshop
4:30-5:30 p.m. Enrichment Workshop
5:30 p.m. Sessions End - Dinner on your own
9:30-midnight Hospitality Suite
Room TBA

Sunday, Oct. 3

Session 7 EMA Business Meeting
ICC

8 a.m. Buses to International Conservation Center (ICC)
11-noon EMA Business Meeting
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Brunch
Sponsored by Somerset Trust

Session 8 - Elephant Programs
ICC Restaurant

12:30-2 p.m. European Elephant School
Pat Maluy, Lead Elephant Keeper
Woodland Park Zoo

Abu Camp, Botswana: A Recent History
Nathan Jamieson
Taronga Western Plains Zoo

Socialization of a Juvenile Male African Elephant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Jennifer Long
Disney’s Animal Kingdom

2 p.m. Tour of ICC Facilities
4:30 p.m. Barbeque Dinner & Bonfire
Sponsored by the Pittsburgh Zoo and the International Conservation Center
9 p.m. Buses to Hotel