Project

AE Grant Showcase 2025: Animal Behavior and Empathy Training

Dakota Zoo, Racine Zoo

March 2025

Advancing Empathy Grant Program

Dakota Zoo

Racine Zoo

This resource was funded by the Advancing Empathy Grant Program.

This session focused on how animal behavior and ambassador welfare can be leveraged to foster empathy and engagement. Allison Malkowski from Dakota Zoo discussed Advancing Empathy through Animal Behavior and Education Enhancements, highlighting innovative voluntary behavioral training programs and educational enhancements for animal ambassadors. Abby Flores from Racine Zoo presented Assuring Welfare through Ethograms, a project that promotes empathy for wildlife by engaging guests in interactive ethogram activities to observe and understand animal behavior, with data directly informing husbandry practices. 

Projects and Presenters: 

  • Dakota Zoo: Advancing Empathy through Animal Behavior and Education Enhancements, presented by Allison Malkowski, asdirect@dakotazoo.org.

Hosted by the Advancing Empathy Grant Program & Woodland Park Zoo www.zoo.org/empathy 

Tags:

  • ambassador animals
  • animal wellbeing
  • grant

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