A conference of zoo officials from across North America are gathering at the Magnetic Hill Zoo over the next few days.
The event is held in various cities and this year Moncton has been chosen as the host site.
Zoo manager Bruce Dougan these conferences can often be very beneficial to the zoo itself. He says, “It’s an opportunity to network with people and to access some animals that you might need or animals that you might want to surplus. It’s also an opportunity to get the best practives in all areas of zoo operations.”
Dougan adds Grade 12 students from Harrison Trimble and Moncton High Schools have been invited to the conference to learn more about zoos from an expert panel.
The conference will also coincide with a meeting of a special task force which is chaired by Dougan and is looking into the keeping of exotic animals in the province.
The Exotic Animal Task Force, was formed after the tragic deaths of two young boys in Campbellton at the hands of an African Rock python.
They’ll be talking about changes to laws, policies and regulations to regulate exotic pets in the province.
Other members on the task force include the Executive Director of the New Brunswick SPCA Hilary Howes, and a Retired Veterinarian from Moncton, Nelson Poirier.
