Longtime zoo professional Alan Toyne has a new book describing his many years working with lowland gorillas at Bristol zoo, including two experiences hand-rearing baby gorillas. Gorillas in Our Midst: A zookeeper's tale of hand-rearing baby gorillas published by Summersdale centers on the lives of extraordinary characters like a female gorilla named Kera, a lone hand-reared female that never knew how to be an adult gorilla herself. When Kera had to deliver by C-section, she failed to bond with her infant Afia. That's when Alan and his fellow keepers stepped in and provided around the clock care for her until such time as another female stepped up to raise Afia as her own. Years later, when another infant, Hasani, needed a surrogate, Alan and the team made the bold decision to train Kera for the job. Could the once ostracized gorilla that rejected her first infant learn to nurture another?

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Dr. Dave Miller, DVM, PhD has a new chapter on euthanasia in zoological settings in the forthcoming second edition of Veterinary Euthanasia Techniques, edited by Kathleen A. Cooney, DVM. In the chapter he and his co-author, yours truly, try to describe the additional pressures and considerations on euthanasia in public display situations. It is no longer enough to simply be aware of the latest methods of humane euthanasia across exotic species. Given all the legal, ethical, coworker, regulatory, and public sentiment perspectives in the age of social media, it is more important than ever for zoos and aquariums to adopt a wholistic approach to quality of life assessments and end of life decision-making.

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Few names are as widely recognizable in the global conservation arena than Dr. Jane Goodall. Her passing last week has prompted praise from around the world. Dr Samantha Russak, Curator of Research and Welfare at Tanganyika Wildlife Park returns to discuss the complicated legacy of her childhood hero. We discuss Dr. Goodall's transition from a first of her kind chimpanzee field researcher at her beloved Gombe Stream National Park to global conservation advocate.

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Reflections from the field about the joyful resilience and reconciliation of the Rwandan people three decades after genocide claimed 1 millions lives and the parallel recovery of the tiny nation's wildlife and wild spaces. Plus ecotourism there isn't just about mountain gorillas!

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Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski is the founder and driving force behind the Dolphin Communication Project. Its purpose is to engage students, collaborators, and members of the public in research, education, and conservation for the purpose of promoting the scientific study of dolphins and inspire their conservation. In her spare time, Kathleen also manages the peer-review journal, Aquatic Mammals. Recently, her decades of work was acknowledged through the Wolfgang Kiessling International Prize for Species Conservation.

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Over four decades ago, little did writer and artist Kevin Eastman or his co-creator Peter Laird think their stand alone, self-published comic about 4 mutant turtles well-trained in martial arts would become the global, multibillion dollar franchise it is today. Kevin describes his appreciation of meeting original and new generations of fans at various conventions around the world. Plus he shares insights for aspiring creators on what it takes to achieve artistic and publishing success. Most of all he answers the question where the inspiration of turtle superheroes came from based on his early childhood fascination with chelonians.

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Kyle Kittleson is a former marine mammal trainer and the author of Wear a Wetsuit at Work, a guide book to help aspiring trainers how to land their first job. These days, Kyle has left the zoological field in favor of serving as a mental health advocate. Diagnosed with depression since he was nine, Kyle now combines his past training and media work with his own mental health journey interviewing renown therapists and physicians for MedCircle.com, an online community of individuals and professionals to "learn, share and heal."

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Tom Otten and Glenn Young have been working in key leadership roles with marine mammals such as orcas and terrestrial animals like elephants for decades. They share their insights into where zoos and aquariums have been and where they might want to go while we still have time to preserve what's left of Nature.

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