- Is this your
first Rhino Keeper Workshop?
55% yes
45% no
- Did you receive
funding to attend the workshop (either institutional or IRKA scholarship)?
89% yes
11 % no
- What do you feel
was the best aspect of this workshop?
- Opportunity to network and talk with other
keepers (cited 45%)
- Working groups (cited 28%)
- Variety of presentations and content (cited
15%)
- Well organized and planned (cited 4%)
- 2 % of surveys cited these topics:
- Mixture of academic and keeper presenters
- Got new ideas
- Problem solving
- Trip to fossil rim
- What was your favorite topic?
- Updates on conservation topics including
efforts, poaching, and population numbers (cited 24%)
- Nutrition information that was provided
(cited 19%)
- 11% of surveys cited these topics:
- Research updates
- Foot care
- Keeper talks
- Treating granulomas (cited 9%)
- Breeding issues (cited 6%)
- Iron storage disease and housing designs
(each cited 4%)
- World population status and numbers
(cited 2%)
- How can Rhino
Keeper Workshop be improved?
- No suggestions (cited 30%)
- Enforce time limits on presenters (cited
13%)
- PhD speakers need to bring down technical
expertise to keeper level (cited 9%)
- Reduce number of talks on same topics,
seems redundant (cited 6%)
- 4% of surveys cited these improvements:
- Review common problems and their respective
resolution
- Increase number of European and international
keepers
- Make better travel and transportation
arrangements
- Have sharpie permanent marker available
so delegates can label mugs given in “welcome bag”
and use those instead of Styrofoam cups for breaks, lunch,
etc
- 2% of surveys cited these improvements:
- Discuss behavioral issues
- Have videos of training, keeper
demonstrations, facilities, medical cases, etc.
- Put job titles on delegate list
- Brief talk about each institution
and their facilities
- Encourage participants to bring
pictures
- Increase vegetarian meal choices
- Jax should have had a table to
sell t-shirts, etc
- More husbandry presentations
- Extended round table discussion
for topic of hemolytic anemia
- Increase number of posters
- Round table discussion on how to
discuss stress and other issues with managers as they
relate to black rhinos (since lot of problems seem
to be attributed to exhibitory stressors)
- Training and behavior management
in variety of management styles
- Try to be more species specific
- Propose task forces to address
issues (ex – raising money for specific in situ
conservation efforts, gather information on all rhino
holding areas dealing with “X” issue)
and present results at next RKW
- All day lectures are too tedious
- Put survey results on website
- DJ at auction
- Are you going
to try and attend next Rhino Keeper Workshop in 2013?
85% yes
11 % uncertain
4 % no
- What topics would
you like to see addressed/covered in 2013?
- Nutrition (cited 30%)
- Information on both basic and advanced
training procedures (cited 21%)
- Conservation updates and enrichment
topics (each cited 15%)
- How can keepers assist researchers
in projects like translocation, behavior studies, ecology
studies, etc. (cited 13%)
- Increase number of black rhino topics
(cited 11%)
- 4% of surveys cited these topics:
- Management of same sex groups
- Research updates
- Breeding challenges and breakthroughs
- Behavioral information
- Calf proofing ideas
- Footcare
- 2% of surveys cited these topics:
- Guidance on how to set up
inter-institutional study
- Working group on exhibit
design
- Birth sex ratio biases
- Fund raising
- Dental care and concern
- Pressure sores and resultant
issues
- Match up people doing renovations
and designing new exhibits with those that have already
completed theirs
- Aging rhinoceros husbandry
and management practices
- How to do more with less
money
- Aggression and how to deal
with it (both animal and public issues)
- Was the keeper
talk working group and presentations helpful to you?
58% yes
9% didn’t attend
- What would you suggest to improve?
- Didn’t really need this topic
addressed (cited 21%)
- Needed more structure (cited 11%)
- Videotapes of people doing presentations
at their facilities (cited 4%)
- 2 % of surveys cited these improvements:
- Opportunities to ask questions
- Giving ideas to improve talks
- Reduce time given to present the
actual talks
- Was the immobilization
working group and presentations helpful to you?
58 % yes
19% no comment
13 % no
2% didn’t attend
- What would you suggest to improve?
- 11% cited these suggestions
for improvement:
- Definitely need to make sure information
is put on website for reference
- Videos of procedures showing “normal”
versus “abnormal" responses to immobilization
would have been helpful
- Difficult to give comments since conversations
were monopolized by some individuals, people were trying
to talk over each other and needed improved structure and
moderator monitoring/involvement (cited 9%)
- Concern because any keeper knowledge
gained will be “wasted” since veterinarian generally
excludes keepers from planning and participation (4%)
- 2 % cited these suggestions
for improvement:
- Information would help keepers prepare
for the “unexpected”
- Would be nice to have list of drugs commonly
used and their possible interactions and/or side effects
- Nice being able to share ideas and experiences
- Need to have smaller groups to facilitate
discussions
- May have been more helpful if we had
been able to discuss approaches to specific situations and
treatments commonly performed
- What working groups would you like to see
for 2013?
- Training (cited 38%)
- Facility design (cited 11%)
- Enrichment (15%)
- Fund raising and Nutrition (each cited 13%)
- Foot care (9%)
- Introductions and mixing rhinos (cited 4%)
- 2 % cited these options
as working groups:
- Restraint design
- Crate design
- Round table discussion with smaller,
focused groups to connect specific individuals with particular
topic
- Staff development
- Birthing protocols
- Skin lesions
- Black rhino diseases
- Conservation
- Assessing body condition
- What, and/or
how, can the Board of Directors improve to address your concerns?
(comments
in red are BOD responses to your suggested improvements)
- No comments or improvements suggested in
66% of surveys
- Coordinate speaker time better and streamline
excessive content (cited 11%) –
will be addressed in 2013 with implementation of podium timer
for speakers
- 4% cited the following concerns:
- Continued professional development options
for members
– will investigate participation
in in-situ conservation projects
- Increase the number of poster presentations
– will try to encourage more
submissions 2013, so take some time to think of ideas for
workshop and design poster
- Include more video presentations
– discussed and will try to
implement in 2013
- Increase more communication among yourself
regarding attendees
– registration was not forwarded
until a few days prior to departure for RKW –apologize
for the inconvenience and/or confusion this may have caused,
will strive to improve
- Try to reach more European keepers
– have already formed International Liaison committee
and have requested some new members to participate on this
committee
- 2% cited the following concerns:
- Tell members how to get involved in working
with conservation groups
– working on how to make that
connection, keep reminding us!
- Continues to be well organized
– thanks, we are trying
- Selection of speakers was great
– thank you
- Increase funding for keepers to attend
– for 2011 RKW, BOD allocated
$8,000 in scholarships. Historically there has not been
an application denied for scholarship as long as they followed
the submission guidelines.
- Provide updates on project progress,
breeding successes, etc
- keep reading g- mail and/or newsletter for these types
of updates
- Address vegetarian concerns
– will definitely address, apologize for this oversight
- Make papers available to download on
website
– will discuss with webmaster
- Need to have better balance between conservationists,
PhD, research scientists and zookeepers
– All keepers whom submitted
abstracts for this workshop were able to make presentations
and in 2013 we will strive to have a blend of keepers, and
other rhino-related professionals. Take the time to plan
now so you can submit your abstract and will be able to
present at the next Rhino Keeper Workshop.
- Suggested ice breaker activity - bring
institution’s rhino information and create a family
tree to make connections with rhinos and/or institutions
– thanks for suggestion, will
forward it to RKW chairperson
- Establish standards to help keepers push
improvements at facilities
- new rhinoceros husbandry manual
is due out in 2011 and the RAG has updated the standards
in this document
- Continue implementing our feedback –
lots of improvements noticed from 2009 RKW
- thank you for your suggestion(s)
- Encourage participants to share and use
the information gained with colleagues at their institution
- we try to provide a diverse format so that attendees can
gain knowledge, and encourage dispersal of information as
well
- Increase number of younger BOD members
- Paige and Dorothy are the newest (youngest) members on
BOD, now is the time to nominate someone you feel could
contribute to the organization
Thank you for your participation
and honest responses to this survey, your BOD appreciates
it !!
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