Mental Health and Dealing with Loss in Animal Care

If you're not familiar with the term, you're very likely familiar with the feeling of a workplace where psychological safety has been established or where it was not. Unlocking creativity, innovation, and honesty requires some measure of freedom to express oneself authentically. A successful organization prioritizes a psychologically safe environment for its employees. www.patreon.com/aquatizoo [email protected] www.magicalvacationplanner.com/staff/lori-semple

It's one of the most common questions that we hear in the aquarium and zoo field. People naturally want to know how long animals live and sometimes the lifespans of animals in human care are compared to the lifespans of their counterparts in the wild. There are many factors at play, but let's discuss the lifespans of animals! www.patreon.com/aquatizoo [email protected] www.magicalvacationplanner.com/staff/lori-semple

Often our organizations are structured in such a way that we have the potential for several supervisors, and their requests may differ. How might one prioritize or navigate a situation when there is more than one supervisor with a request? Today we discuss some options for how one might approach this complicated scenario. www.patreon.com/aquatizoo [email protected] www.magicalvacationplanner.com/staff/lori-semple

Today we're taking an exceptionally deep dive into the things behind the scenes that keep zoos and aquariums running. There are many things that could happen unexpectedly in your average zoo or aquarium, so we do what we can to prepare ahead of a problem. www.patreon.com/aquatizoo [email protected] www.magicalvacationplanner.com/staff/lori-semple

We're often led to believe that offering forgiveness to someone who has wronged us is only of benefit to the other person. In reality, it's quite the opposite! Today we discuss the vast difficulty and subtle-but-powerful benefits of forgiveness. www.patreon.com/aquatizoo [email protected] www.magicalvacationplanner.com/staff/lori-semple

We understand what they are, but are guest experience and animal welfare naturally opposing forces? No, but it might happen behind the scenes in your favorite aquarium or zoo. We discuss the how and why this happens, and ponder ways to move forward together for the benefit of all. www.patreon.com/aquatizoo [email protected] www.magicalvacationplanner.com/staff/lori-semple

Approaching this purely as a coworker and sometimes leader of people, today we discuss the challenges (and overestimated challenges) one might run across while working with people who experience the world differently than we do. There are lots of ways we can ensure that everyone has a chance to work peacefully and productively. www.patreon.com/aquatizoo [email protected] www.magicalvacationplanner.com/staff/lori-semple

There are times when a zoo or aquarium has more animals than they can realistically care for in the long term. There are plans in place to handle these situations and to make sure that the extra animals have a full and comfortable life even if we aren't the ones who will be caring for them that entire time. Today, we discuss surplus animals! www.patreon.com/aquatizoo [email protected] www.magicalvacationplanner.com/staff/lori-semple

There's a big difference in contemplating the "what" behind a goal versus the "why." Today we discuss the difference between actions and outcomes and how learning to recognize and focus on the right one will help to accomplish some big dreams. www.patreon.com/aquatizoo [email protected] www.magicalvacationplanner.com/staff/lori-semple

Our institutions strive to provide education, conservation, and scientific discovery to the communities we serve. There are several ways in which aquariums and zoos contribute to the scientific knowledge of animals and their behavior, though they may not be the straightforward ways you might imagine. www.patreon.com/aquatizoo [email protected] www.magicalvacationplanner.com/staff/lori-semple