WHO'S WHO AT THE ZOO
Wildlife Wellness Team
By Morgan Purvis, Communications and Public Relations Representative
Animal wellness begins with a deep understanding of the preferences and needs of each species at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. Optimal wellness is obtained when each animal thrives. The more the animal's behavior resembles free-living wild animals, the more likely that wellness has been achieved.
Our wellness department has one of the most productive programs in the country, with students, staff, and faculty partners working in tandem to not only ensure animal wellness at our Zoo, but also publish high-quality research papers annually to improve animal wellness throughout the industry.
Terry L. Maple, Ph.D. Our commitment to wildlife wellness would not be possible without the work of Dr. Terry Maple. As the Director of Wildlife Wellness, he helps the Zoo utilize wellness in the day-to-day processes of animal care. Primarily, this includes work through writing and mentoring, however he also has organized meetings and workshops along with assisting in exhibit design. He came to the Zoo in 2014 and was instrumental in the design of African Forest, his favorite exhibit at our Zoo. Raised in San Diego County, Dr. Maple earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in California. He was a fulltime college professor before he became the President and CEO of Zoo Atlanta. He has mentored 27 graduate students who now work at zoos across the nation and he has also written several books. In his spare time he enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife and three daughters.
Fátima Ramis As the Wildlife Wellness and Research Officer, Fátima Ramis manages the welfare assessment process at the Zoo. She also works with the University of North Florida (UNF) to promote our partnership with the biology and psychology departments. She started here in 2017 as a behavior research fellow, primarily studying giraffe behavior at the Zoo to understand guest-giraffe interactions through feeding programs. During her undergraduate, Fátima studied primate ecology and behavior, as well as behavior and maternal investment in snakes. This experience gave her an appreciation for wildlife conservation and the importance of welfare in success. Fatima’s favorite area of the Zoo is Wild Florida, where the animals represent local wildlife and help us better understand how to interact with the species that we share landscapes with every day. In her spare time, she enjoys the time outdoors with her dogs, gardening, and going to the beach. She is also a PhD student at the University of Florida, studying human-wildlife dimensions.
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WILD MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2021 • JACKSONVILLE ZOO AND GARDENS
