Animal conference program by Oklahoma Gazette

SPONSORED PROGRAM

VISIT THESE ANIMAL-FRIENDLY PL ACES AND HAPPENINGS IN DOWNTOWN OKL AHOMA CITY AND THE METRO!

MARCH 30 & 31, 2015 THE CAT CAFÉ & BOOKSTORE AT THE SKIRVIN-HILTON HOTEL

S P E A K E R S

Be sure to stop by the west entrance of the hotel where the Cat Café and Full Circle Pop-Up Bookstore will feature coffee from Café Evoke, book signings, and adoptable pets from Central Oklahoma Humane Society and Bella Foundation. Making her celebrity appearance at the Cat Café (times to be announced on social media), star feline Sauerkraut (inset) is one of five finalists on Animal Planet’s America’s Next Cat Star, premiering on May 2.

DREW EDMONDSON

is a former Oklahoma attorney general and district attorney, having been involved in some of Oklahoma’s highest-profile and most-complex criminal and civil litigation cases. He brings more than thirty years of legal experience in practice areas including administrative law, case settlement, commercial litigation, government law, and white collar crime. He now practices law with Gable Gotwals.

During The ANIMAL Conference at the Skirvin-Hotel, businesses and organizations will welcome animal lovers throughout downtown Oklahoma City. Join in the fun and share your experience digitally by using the #animal2015 hashtag. You can tag us at @kirkpatrickfdn or @oklahomaanimals.

MIDTOWN MUT TS

OKL AHOM A CITY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

409 WEST PARK PL ACE (CORNER OF PARK & HUDSON)

Concurrent to The ANIMAL Conference’s Monday morning sessions, Basic Animal Rescue Training (BART) will be made available to local first responders, free-ofcost, at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. This three-hour course, instructed by veterinary professionals, will prepare first-responders to provide on-the-spot care for animals. Participants will gain the knowledge to assemble planning measures for their communities. They will also learn how to handle and restrain animals and provide first aid for companion animals in disasters. For more information, visit www.basicanimaltraining.com.

Midtown Mutts is a collaborative project of Oklahoma City’s Midtown Renaissance, Downtown Oklahoma City, and the Central Oklahoma Humane Society. Designed by Larry Pickering, the park caters to the district’s many apartment-dwelling pets and pet owners. Entirely mobile and centered by a repurposed shipping container, this fresh concept has given new life to a once-vacant lot in the Midtown area. Its mobile design will allow the park to move once its current lot is contracted for development.

DIANA WEBSTER

is a California attorney and an enrolled member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) in Northern Minnesota. As president of the Native American Humane Society, Webster draws on her cultural traditions, education, experience, and passion for helping animals to make tribal communities safer for tribal members and animals.

Oklahoma City Community Foundation

DR. ROBIN GANZERT

is president and CEO of the American Humane Association, the nation’s oldest organization dedicated to the protection of both animals and children. AHA programs include Humane Heartland for farm animal welfare, and Five Star Rescue, which focuses on emergency response. The AHA also grants the “No Animals Were Harmed” entertainment certification.

JONATHAN BALCOMBE is director for Animal Sentience

with the Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy. He has published more than fifty scientific papers and book chapters on animal behavior and animal protection. His books include Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good and Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals.

OFFICER TIM HARRISON is a first-responder, exotic wildlife specialist, and consultant. He has combined his unique skill set to become a sought-after authority on the rescue and capture of wild and exotic animals, often in suburban settings. Harrison’s work has inspired two books and an HBO documentary, The Elephant in the Living Room.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

On the Sunday evening preceding The ANIMAL Conference, wildlife photographer and Ponca City native Joel Sartore will present an evening of witty travel stories and extraordinary photography. Joel is a National Geographic fellow and regular contributor to National Geographic magazine. The Omaha resident specializes in documenting endangered species and landscapes and is the founder of the Photo Ark, a multi-year photography project to save species and habitats.

WHO WILL BE THERE » People interested in animal care and wellbeing » People interested in quality-of-life civic issues » Thought and opinion leaders, policymakers, community advocates and leaders, social workers, and government officials including legislators and city councilors » City and county animal-shelter staff, animal rescue employees and volunteers, farmers and ranchers » Veterinarians and animal-science professionals » Nonprofit staff and board members » Corporate and for-profit industry representatives » Students and retirees

Sunday, March 29, 7:30 to 9 p.m, Oklahoma City Museum of Art; free and open to the public

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND BICENTENNIAL PARK

THE JOAN KIRKPATRICK ANIM AL HOSPITAL

Adopt a pet at Oklahoma City’s Bicentennial Park, located in the heart of the arts district. A part of the Project 180 development initiative, the park is nestled between the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and Civic Center Music Hall. On Thursday, April 2, Downtown OKC (@DowntownOKCInc) and Leadership Oklahoma’s young leaders group, LOYAL (@LOYAL_OKC), will host a pet adoption event in the park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In 2011, the Kirkpatrick Foundation and Kirkpatrick Family Fund announced a joint gift of $1 million to advance a capital campaign to fund a new animal hospital at the Oklahoma City Zoo (@okczoo). The gift, combined with membership and private fundraising, as well as taxpayer funds, resulted in the state-of-theart Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital, which will open in April 2015. The hospital will house new surgical facilities; radiological and pharmacy rooms; and holding, quarantine, and exam areas. The hospital will also feature an observation deck for zoo visitors who would like to have an inside look at the zoo’s veterinary operations.

HIGH FLYIN’ DISC DOGS AT MYRIAD GARDENS

DR. VINT VIRGA

has been a leader in veterinary medicine for more than twenty-five years. As a behavioral specialist and consultant to zoos and wildlife parks, his expertise spans the animal kingdom from dogs and cats to wild species such as leopards, gibbons, wolves, and giraffes. Virga’s book, The Soul of All Living Creatures, is a winner of the 2014 Silver Nautilus Award.

DR. AYSHA AKHTAR

is a neurologist and public health specialist who says she is on a mission to demonstrate how protecting animals provides a mutual benefit to both humans and animals. She is the author of Animals and Public Health: Why Treating Animals Better is Critical to Human Welfare.

CURT PATE

conducts demonstrations and clinics on stockmanship, colt starting, horsemanship, and safety. Mr. Pate recognizes the growing public scrutiny surrounding livestock production and the impact that improved livestock handling practices create for the sustainability of the cattle industry. When not at speaking events, Mr. Pate is managing his grazing operation in western South Dakota.

ALONG WITH

Disc Dog Champion Lee Fairchild

The ANIMAL Conference is proud to partner with Valir Hospice and Myriad Gardens (@myriadgardens), where international disc dog champion Lee Fairchild and partner Chris Meyers will demonstrate their SkyHoundz champion dogs on the Grand Lawn, Tuesday, March 31, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; shows start at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 1:30 p.m. Bring your office colleagues and enjoy lunch from Cornish Smokehouse food truck or Mob Grill food truck, and check out the vendor and info booths, including Plenty Mercantile, Barking Dog Bakery, A1 Pet Emporium, Full Circle Obedience School, Carey Pet and Home Care, Pet Lovers Pet Shop, Central Park Dog Daycare, and Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Division.

» You care about animals and the people who love and care for them » You want to join the dialogue, educate yourself, and share knowledge on how to improve the quality of life for animals whether on the farm, in the wild, in neighborhoods, or in homes » It will be fun!

WHAT WE WILL DO » Engage in dynamic conversations about animals including pets, wildlife, farm animals, and exotics » Learn about animal behavior and recent discoveries about the animal brain » Obtain strategies for improved animal treatment in industry and communities » Meet leaders in the fields of animal science, public health, the human-animal bond, disaster relief, rescue and law enforcement, journalism, and philanthropy » Discover new programs for youth to increase social and emotional learning, empathy, compassion, and character » Build awareness of the value of animals in service, therapy, and rehabilitation » Develop a sense of active compassion that will allow attendees to view their world, fellow humans, and animals in a different or enhanced way

“WE CAN JUDGE THE HEART OF A MAN BY HIS TREATMENT OF ANIMALS.” — IMM ANUEL K ANT

CHARLES SIEBERT

New York Times Magazine Journalist

NICOLE FORSYTH

President and CEO of RedRover

LISA LUNGHOFER

Director of AniCare and Rapid Response for Animals and Society Institute

PHIL ARKOW

Coordinator of the National Link Coalition

DAVID KIRBY

Author, Death at SeaWorld

TIM HETZNER

President of Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry

ANDREW GUNTHER

Program Director of Animal Welfare Approved

BEN CALLISON

Director, Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch

For a complete agenda and list of speakers, visit www.theanimalconference.com

SPONSORED PROGRAM

REGISTRATION JOIN US AT THE CONFERENCE Please go to www.theanimalconference.com and click the Register Now link. You can find more information about attending the conference, speaker bios, and the conference agenda on this website as well. Should you need to pay for registration with a check, print the form and mail your remittance to Factor 110. Register now as space is limited. A few scholarships remain for qualifying individuals.

CONTACT US If you have questions or would like more information about the ANIMAL Conference, please contact the Kirkpatrick Foundation at 405.608.0934. For registration information, please contact Factor 110 at 405.604.0041.

The ANIMAL Conference will be hosted at Oklahoma City’s historic Skirvin-Hilton Hotel (@skirvinhiltonok). This landmark, conveniently located in downtown Oklahoma City, will be the site of the 2015 conference plenary and breakout sessions, the Cat Café and Full Circle Pop-Up Bookstore, several exhibits, a Monday evening reception, and the award luncheon for the newly established Kirkpatrick Honor for Animal Wellbeing.

# AN IMAL 2 0 1 5 @ KIR KPATRI CK FD N @ O KLAH O M A A N I M A L S

The Kirkpatrick Foundation is celebrating its sixtieth year of philanthropy in Oklahoma City. Established in 1955 by John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick, the foundation has given away more than $65 million in charitable funding to central Oklahoma’s nonprofit organizations. The Kirkpatrick Foundation grants funding year-round to area nonprofits with efforts focused in arts and culture, education, animal wellbeing, environmental conservation, and historic preservation. The foundation has made contributions toward the establishment of many city institutions including the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Gardens.

Safe & Humane, a Kirkpatrick Foundation project, is a collaborative effort to make Oklahoma the safest and most humane place to be an animal by the year 2032. Efforts include the establishment of the Oklahoma Roundtable for Animal Welfare, Oklahoma Link Coalition, and the forthcoming Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital at the Oklahoma City Zoo. The Oklahoma Animal Wellbeing Study, a survey of statistics and conditions, will be published in spring 2015. The ANIMAL Conference serves as a triennial opportunity to network and learn about issues affecting animals in Oklahoma and beyond. To learn more about Safe & Humane, visit www.safeandhumaneoklahoma.org.

HORSE AND CHEETAH PHOTO: JOEL SARTORE