Conservation is cool! At our newest Wild Learning Lecture, you can explore the world of polar bears with a panel of experts. You’ll learn more about how we protect these Arctic animals and leave with a better understanding of their care and conservation. 

This event is free and open to the public. Registration required.

SOLD OUT

About the Lecture: 

A panel of polar bear experts from the Detroit Zoological Society and our partner, Polar Bears International, will share how they care for the polar bears at the Detroit Zoo and how they use research to contribute to polar bear conservation in the wild. Learn everything you want to know about these magnificent mammals as our experts answer your questions in real time. 

 

Meet our Panelists: 

Amy Cutting: 

Vice President of Conservation, Polar Bears International 

Amy volunteered with Polar Bears International for more than 20 years before joining the team in fall 2022. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Oregon State University and a master’s in human and animal cognition from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Prior to joining Polar Bears International, she spent 20 years at the Oregon Zoo as an animal keeper, senior keeper and curator overseeing animal care and species recovery programs. During that time, she facilitated several ex-situ polar bear research projects in energetics and nutritional ecology, resulting in peer-reviewed publications. She is a facilitator for the Polar Bear Research Council, a team formed to guide polar bear research priorities for the zoo community, and is passionate about building capacity at zoos and aquariums to contribute to polar bear conservation science. She is based in Portland, Oregon, where she is an Oregon Zoo Conservation Partner. She enjoys spending time with her wife, two daughters and two dogs on the Oregon coast and in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge.

 

Marissa Krouse

Director of Conservation Programs, Polar Bears International

Marissa has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in animal behavior. She worked in a zoo setting for nine years, specifically in the fields of animal care and conservation education. Her role at Polar Bears International includes coordinating the Arctic Ambassador Center Network, leading the annual Climate Alliance training sessions for zoo staff and guiding work in strategic framing. She also communicates about polar bears and climate change in a way that is values based, civic minded and solution focused. Marissa is a motivated conservationist who values teamwork and is dedicated to helping others lead their communities. She believes in the legacy she will leave behind and works to leave a healthy planet for future generations.

 

 

 

Dr. Kylen Gartland

Manager of Applied Animal Welfare, Detroit Zoological Society

Dr. Kylen Gartland joined the DZS in 2021 while still completing her Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of Oregon. Her work focuses on well-being research undertaken at the Zoo including proposals for new research, statistical analysis of collected data, internal and external reporting, and oversight of the endocrinology laboratory. Kylen is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Research and Technology Special Committee. She has a particular interest in multi-institutional collaborative studies and implementing mixed-methods approaches for more comprehensive welfare science. 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Wynona Shellabarger

Veterinarian, Detroit Zoological Society

Dr. Wynona Shellabarger is a veterinarian with more than 30 years of zoo medicine experience. She has been part of the Detroit Zoo’s veterinary team since 2009. She earned her doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and completed a zoo medicine internship at the Toledo Zoo before launching her zoo medicine career there. She has worked extensively with polar bears and other bear species during her zoo career, including captive polar bear breeding programs. She has been serving as the AZA Polar Bear Program veterinary advisor since 2016 and as the AZA Bear TAG Brown and Black Bear veterinary advisor since 2020. She is also a veterinary consultant and medical liaison for the AZA Polar Bear Research Council’s Health and Welfare Research Pillar, which promotes collaborative wild and managed bear research to better understand impacts of climate change and other factors on the health and well-being of both populations. 

 

Betsie Meister

Associate Curator of Mammals, Detroit Zoological Society

Betsie provides oversight of the Detroit Zoo’s mammal department operations, including animal care, husbandry, enrichment, staff training and recruitment, staff evaluation, maintenance, research, guest interaction activities, special events and other projects. Her areas of specialty include the Arctic Ring of Life, bear den, big cats and nocturnal species. Betsie also works collaboratively with AZA colleagues as the Bear Taxon group chair. Betsie is a frequent consultant on polar bear breeding, female denning and cub hand rearing. 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike Murray

Vice President of Life Science, Detroit Zoological Society

Mike joined the DZS in March 2023. Prior to joining the DZS, Mike worked at four different zoos: Binder Park Zoo, Denver Zoo, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Lincoln Park Zoo. Currently, he oversees the animal care, animal health, animal welfare and conservation teams. 

Mike also works with other departments and organizations accredited by the AZA on maintaining optimal animal well-being, conserving species and sustainable populations in human care. Actively involved in AZA programs, he is the Saving Animals From Extinction coordinator for African painted dogs, a vice-chair of the Antelope and Giraffe Taxon Advisory Group and serves on the Animal Population Management Committee. Mike has partnered with Polar Bears International since 2010, helping to facilitate action on climate change conservation.

 

What can we expect at the Wild Learning Lectures? 

• A lecture in the Ford Education Center theater
• Complimentary refreshments
• A question-and-answer session with guest speaker
• A meet-and-greet with the guest speaker
• Free parking 
• A limited number of wheelchairs and Electronic Convenience Vehicles are available to guests who need them. To rent a mobility device, please request one in your event registration.
  

How does the Wild Learning Lectures support the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) mission?  

By attending events hosted by the Detroit Zoo, you are directly supporting the DZS mission of creating meaningful connections between people, animals and the natural world so all can thrive. Your event admission provides support so that the DZS can continue to demonstrate extraordinary leadership in conservation, animal well-being, education and environmental sustainability.