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An amazing 6-part foundation course, for Elephant caregivers offering a proactive view into the future of Elephant husbandry in 21st Century Zoos. With nearly 10 hours of ‘live’ Zoom presentations, it aims to enlighten both those who are new to this environment and longtime Elephant professionals alike.

Join internationally renowned Elephant care consultant, Alan Roocroft, for a unique insight into his enormous wealth of experience in the world of Elephant husbandry. Through his fascinating perspective, we will gain valuable insights in multiple elements of the delivery of progressive Elephant care. With over 50 years of experience, across 125 collections in 28 countries, Alan is regarding as the unrivalled expert in this field and the opportunity to learn from his huge knowledge is rare.

Through his teaching and philosophy, Alan hopes to be able to influence the next generation of Elephant Zoo professionals, by delivering the evolutionary development of standards and practices.

Each weekly, 1.5 hour ‘Zoom’ video conference call, will cover a section of this expansive topic and over the weeks this will build into a comprehensive understanding of the key factors concerning the delivery of high-quality Elephant care in Zoos.

Each call will center around a presentation from Alan, drawing on his vast experience and providing great development opportunities for those attending.

The weekly call content will be:

• The day in a life of the Elephant
• The history of ‘Protected Contact’
• Finer points of building a foot care culture for elephants in zoos
• The importance of movement and body confirmation in Zoo Elephants
• PC training, Elephant restraint, chutes and drug use
• Transportation of Zoo Elephants

Delegates will also have on-line access to a recording of each presentation in the event of any session being missed (limited to 4 weeks after the courses conclusion).

The day in a life of the Elephant

Learn the finer points of Elephant care by using the Elephants’ very own biology as your reference to program design. We will follow the natural rhythms of an Elephants’ day and use this to enlighten our view of their care in captivity.

The history of ‘Protected Contact’

Follow us as we walk you through the evolution of Protected Contact as it developed in our Zoos.

Elephant care programs in Zoos in the 1990’s was demonized as archaic, outdated and dangerous. One media outlet even likened Elephant keepers to ‘fighter pilots’, saying it was the second most dangerous profession in the world. This prompted Zoos around the world to start looking for another approach.

Alan Roocroft at San Diego Wild Animal Park, then began creating avenues for exploratory new ideas with both groups of Elephants at the park.

The rest is, so to speak, history. Learn how from those early beginnings in the 90’s, this has developed into a worldwide system that has changed the face of Elephant keeping in 21^st century Zoos.

Finer points of building a foot care culture for elephants in zoos

We will learn why building a culture of care in your Elephant pedicure program can protect your philosophy and techniques into the future.

Alan will discuss how making specialized care information, ‘institutional’ rather than personal, can protect animals in zoos for generations to come. He will outline safeguards to prevent the risk of losing the care knowledge with every person that leaves an institutions Elephant program.  

The importance of movement & body confirmation in Zoo Elephants

Alan will explain how Elephants’ necessary mobile lifestyle is not being sufficiently represented in some of our Zoos, and whilst they collectively try very hard to present best practice, there often seems to be an ‘informational roadblock’ towards what actually constitutes excellence in the care for captive Elephants.

Movement is critical to Elephants’ long-term health, however, historically Zoos are not approaching this need with the same science as they do, with other herd animals like hoof stock and even some species of birds.

Learn why habitat design and refurnishing a habitat on a daily basis, is essential to the movement strategies we offer an Elephant so it can exercise within its’ evolutionary path.

We will follow this train of thought, with all the nuances needed for strength, muscle flexibility and opportunities for mental stimulation creating a well-rounded and near to natural speciesism.

Alan will also outline how to better observe your Elephants by understanding their anatomy.

PC Training, Elephant restraint, chutes and drug use 

Alan will run through the three comprehensive care approaches for offering your Elephant a high standard of husbandry & medical care.

Transportation of Zoo Elephants.

Alan will discuss the knock on from initial PC wall design, to a holistic approach to Elephant transportation. This outlook encompasses the Elephant having some control over its environment, so it does not lose hope during the process of being confined in the crate and moved between Zoos.