Welcome June! Celebrating Pride month with a free resource on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

Every June the world celebrates Pride Month, marking the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and reflecting on how far we have come towards LGBTQIA+ rights and where we still need to go. At AnimalConcepts, we are celebrating LGBTQIA+ inclusion and championing diversity in the zoo and aquarium community with a brand-new free resource addressing the ways in which animal care and other facilities can support staff, students, and visitors no matter how they identify. You can download the free resource HERE

While we wear the rainbow flag for June, it is important to remember as a community that Pride is not something we think about only for one month of the year. There are always things we can do year-round, whether it is day-to-day changes like sharing your pronouns or using inclusive language, or systemic changes like rewriting our DEI policies or building new gender-inclusive infrastructure.

We presented a webinar on gender diversity and inclusion in animal care careers, which explored concepts of gender identity and the specific areas of challenge and opportunity when it comes to supporting transgender and gender non-conforming staff and students in their animal care career and gender journeys. This webinar was be presented by our Animal Care and Conservation Coordinator Max Norman, themselves a member of the LGBTQIA+ community working in the field of animal care and wellbeing. You can watch the recording HERE

Throughout last month and this month, AnimalConcepts' Animal Welfare and Conservation Coordinator Max Norman has and will continue to be working with the BIAZA Diversity, Equality and Inclusion group on new and updated resources dedicated to sharing the experience of LGBTQIA+ zoo and aquarium staff through webinars, interviews, and blog content.

We hope all friends, members, and collaborators will join us in celebrating the diversity that makes our community so vibrant, as we build a future with equal access, opportunity, and respect and love for all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Happy Pride from all of us at AnimalConcepts!

Platforms overview

AnimalConcepts welcomes June with new exciting topics in all platforms!

Animal wellbeing

This month on the animal wellbeing platform is all about rest and sleep, important aspects of animal welfare as they contribute to the overall health and wellbeing of animals. We will explore the similarities and differences between sleep aspects of non-human primates, unihemispheric sleep in wild bird species, and other interesting facts about sleep in animals.

Human wellbeing

Our focus for June in the space of human wellbeing is “Trauma-informed workplaces”. Workplace trauma can take various forms and may result from a range of incidents, including workplace accidents, violence, harassment, discrimination, or exposure to distressing or traumatic content. It is important to take proactive steps to create a supportive and healing environment. Addressing trauma in the workplace requires a comprehensive and empathetic approach that focuses on prevention, support, and recovery.

Sabrina Brando discusses in this episode different dimensions of and approaches to human wellbeing which require attention at an individual and organisational level, including being a trauma-informed workplace.

Planetary wellbeing

June’s topic on the planetary wellbeing platform is “Biodiversity”. Biodiversity, which refers to the variety of life on Earth, is of utmost importance for numerous reasons. It encompasses the incredible richness and diversity of species, ecosystems, and genetic variations found on our planet. Each of these species and organisms work together in ecosystems, like an intricate web, to maintain balance and support life.

On the DogPAWS platform

The DogPAWS online platform provides individuals, institutions and organisations with different resources on dog wellbeing science, including theory, applied science, practice and training, ethics and other topics.

In May and June, this platform explores the topic of "domestication". Last month we hosted interactive live sessions on dog training, as well as new Science into Practice resources. Do not miss any of the platform's reading materials, webinars and other resources! Learn more about DogPAWS and register for membership HERE