Ep33 Ron Kagan on pheromones, zoos as sanctuaries and exotic animal welfare and ethics

Ron Kagan is the Chief Executive Officer of the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) in the USA. 

Ron starts talking about his start in the zoo field and how he ended up in his current position and suggests for people starting out in the field to seek both academic studies and practical experience.

Ron shares with us a little about his first studies on pheromones in animal communication and thermoregulation in mammals.

He discusses the program he helped create at Michigan State University for people who want to go into the profession.  It was the first Bachelor of Science degree offered in Applied Zoo Science anywhere. 

Ron dives into the DZS’s Center for Zoo and Aquarium Animal Welfare and Ethics. Here, the current body of knowledge on animal welfare and ethics is freely accessible on-line for all zoo professionals. The center also engages in non-invasive research, convenes symposiums of experts, holds welfare workshops and recognizes advances in animal welfare and ethics through awards.

Sabrina and Ron discuss the differences between animal care and animal welfare and the importance of “giving” choice and control back to captive animals.

Ron tells us about the responsibility a zoo has to help and rescue animals from bad conditions. He shares one of the dozens of success stories on how they became a sanctuary, rescuing hundreds of exotic animals (like a polar bear from a circus and lions from a junkyard). 

Ron remarks on the important role of zoos, making sure that they are sanctuaries, and that zoo animals can thrive. This is also shared in his contribution to the book ‘Increasing Legal Rights for Zoo Animals: Justice on the Ark’. He tells us his perspective of the management of “surplus” animals, and some of the other challenges of zoo animal welfare.

To finish, Ron looks ahead predicting a positive future for zoos and aquariums in the coming years.

Read his paper on “A Universal Animal Welfare Framework for Zoos” HERE

Learn more about the Center for Zoo and Aquarium Animal Welfare and Ethics HERE

Read more about his contribution to the book “Increasing Legal Rights for Zoo Animals: Justice on the Ark” HERE

Listen on your favourite player or directly HERE

Become a member of PAWS HERE