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Day in the Life of a Dolphin Trainer at Georgia Aquarium

  Take a look behind the scenes into a day in the life of a dolphin trainer at Georgia Aquarium.  Day in the Life of a Dolphin Trainer at Georgia Aquarium 1By: Stephen Fischer, Associate Curator, Dolphin

As a kid, most of our family vacations were to Orlando to visit Disney and SeaWorld. As I got older, these parks continued to be a favorite destination, but I started to see them in a different light. During an animal presentation at SeaWorld, I realized the unique relationship required to work with these aquatic animals. Seeing how closely the trainer and animal worked together inspired me. I remember 14-year-old Stephen every time I perform in our presentations, and I think of the thousands of people in our audience. The trainer I watched and admired as a kid will never know how she impacted me. I hope I can have a similar effect on our guests and young aspiring animal trainers.

While pursuing this career, I spent my summer interning at different animal parks to gain hands-on experience in the field. After graduation, I was hired at a marine park near my hometown, working with dolphins and sea lions. I then met one of the trainers in Georgia Aquarium’s dolphin area and was invited to shadow them. I was so impressed with the Aquarium and its animals that I knew this was where I wanted to be.

A typical day on the dolphin team starts very early. We begin by sorting hundreds of pounds of fish to make individualized diets for each of our animals. Once their diets are ready, we begin each day with visual exams and collecting any medical samples our vets may need to ensure all our dolphins are healthy. The best part is every day is different – it is our job to ensure our dolphins never know what’s coming next because this keeps them excited, engaged, and active throughout the day. Their day may include participating in presentations, guest programs, new behavior training sessions, play sessions with some of their favorite toys, or sessions focused on continuing to build bonds between our animals and trainers.

Occasionally, I get the incredible opportunity to go out into the community and share my passion for these animals. This will be my fourth year joining Toomer Elementary School at their Science Night. Science Night is an entertaining and informative STEAM-filled event hosted by volunteers from the Atlanta community. These are opportunities for the kids to have hands-on exposure to the various fields of science. Our education department also recently hosted students from Booker T Washington at the Aquarium so they could learn more about careers in the field of STEM from our staff and experts.

Living in Atlanta, many of these students may never see animals like ours up close. The Aquarium provides an opportunity to learn more about our animals, their habitats, and what we can do to protect them. Though some of these students may have seen our dolphin presentation, they may still need to learn what it takes to care for these animals.

Events like this allow them to ask questions and get more inspired by what they learn. Many of our firmest habits develop at an early age.  Working with kids at this age helps form habits of conservation that become a way of life. I secretly hope these kids go home and bug their parents to start recycling, too.

Day in the Life of a Dolphin Trainer at Georgia Aquarium 3Dolphin Trainer at Georgia Aquarium

Being an animal caretaker is an incredibly rewarding career. The animals I work with truly depend on me, and that inspires me to give them my all every day. The bonds we form make these animals more like family than co-workers. I love seeing the smiles on our guests’ faces as they leave our presentations, and knowing what I do brings joy to their day.

For anyone interested in working with dolphins or other marine mammals, I recommend pursuing a degree in psychology, biology, marine biology, or another life science-related field. You will also want strong swimming skills and a SCUBA certification. Most importantly, look for ways to volunteer or internships working with animals to gain some hands-on experience. These programs will also help you ensure you are passionate about this. Working with these animals is a lot of fun. But heads up – it’s also a lot of hard work (and a LOT of cleaning).

Breaking Barriers in Veterinary Medicine

Veterinary medicine remains one of the least diverse professions in the United States.

By Gregory Scott, DVM, DACZM, Sr. Associate Veterinarian at Georgia Aquarium

My journey to veterinary medicine was not an easy or straight path.

I have wanted to work with animals for as long as I can remember. Although I did not always want to be a veterinarian. As a young kid, I was interested in becoming a zookeeper. However, when telling people you love animals, the most common response is, “You should be a veterinarian!”. I heard this comment so often I internalized it despite having doubts about whether this career was right for me. At the time, I thought vets cared for dogs and cats and wasn’t sure that’s what I wanted to do. I was more interested in working with exotic animals or in a zoo setting. I struggled with deciding to become a veterinarian even through the start of college.

Upon starting college, it was the first time I truly dove into what it would take to become a veterinarian. It became clear that I would need to work incredibly hard and devote a lot of time. I still had not yet realized becoming a zoological veterinarian was possible and questioned whether the requirements would be worth it for a career I was so uncertain about. Ultimately, I decided to pursue an alternative major. Eventually, after a few years of unsuccessfully trying to navigate a different career path, I came back to the idea of becoming a veterinarian.

This time, I researched to see if there was a space in this field where I could see myself. I started by looking into veterinarians’ work in zoo settings – where my passion originated. While learning more about a zoological veterinary career, the light bulb went off. It was the closest experience to a “eureka moment” when I realized this was the perfect career for me.

As I began my journey at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, I became even more exposed to veterinarians’ various roles and specialties – including aquatic animals. I was lucky enough to learn from some experienced professors who specialized in aquatic animal medicine. I was very open to learning about how to care for a vast variety of creatures. Steadily, I gained more exposure to the aquatic side of veterinary medicine and continued down that path. Eventually, this led me to Georgia Aquarium.

Navigating the lack of diversity. 

I believe a crucial element is exposing students to diversity in this field at a young age. As a minority, having visual role models in your career is essential. I was lucky enough to have a mentor who was a Black veterinarian from the time I was in elementary school. My mom knew the extraneous factors that could potentially chip away at my self-belief. She proactively provided me with ways to pursue my passions, ensuring those factors did not deter my aspirations.

Unfortunately, not all students of a minority have that support or experience. Programs like Auburn University’s Veterinary Intensive Program are crucial in shifting the trajectory of diversity in the field of veterinary sciences. The goal is to capture students at a young age, expose them to this career, and support them in their journey. We hope this demonstrates to aspiring veterinarians that, though they may not see people representing their demographic in the field, they can succeed in this career. I truly believe this experience is essential in demonstrating the ability for all to thrive and succeed in this career. As a representative of diversity, I want to inspire young veterinarians and open their minds to the possible avenues.

My hopes for the future of veterinary medicine.

While continuing to reach out to young minorities for mentorship will always be necessary. Hopefully, speaking about veterinary medicine in this context will not be. Everyone should have simple access to animal health as a service to the public, the environment, and for conservation. One great way to help accomplish this is by having ample representation of various demographics in the field as service providers. Because of the variety of backgrounds and life experiences we all have, diversity increases the number of people we can reach. My job is to contextualize the message for different people to understand and connect with.

Practicing veterinary medicine at the Aquarium offers a fun and unique opportunity to work with some amazing animals – it’s hard not to be inspired being in their presence. But veterinary medicine is just one of many pieces of a larger machine that helps the Aquarium accomplish its mission. The importance of spreading awareness of our ocean’s health increases each year. All of us working at Georgia Aquarium have an opportunity to inspire ideas and actions that can make a real difference in the world. We get the incredible opportunity to touch not only a lot of animals’ lives but also people’s. I hope to share this message with future generations and inspire them to follow their passions and overcome any visible or invisible barriers.

New Addition (And Familiar Face) to Georgia Aquarium’s Cold Water Quest

On February 25, the Aquarium welcomed Nunavik (Noon-ah-vick) to Atlanta from SeaWorld Orlando as part of a decades-long collaboration with several other aquariums that care for beluga whales. Nunavik is settling in comfortably at Georgia Aquarium with female beluga whales Maple, Shila, Qinu, and Whisper and three harbor seals in the Aquarium’s arctic-themed Cold Water Quest gallery.

Less than 32 beluga whales are cared for in accredited North American aquariums, making it crucial to collaboratively sustain the population so there are opportunities for research and the ability to connect millions of people with these incredible animals. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is dedicated to continuing the population efforts within aquariums. As part of that guiding principle, participating AZA facilities work together to ensure optimal well-being through varying appropriate social pods and natural breeding behaviors.

 

Nunavik is 14 years old and weighs in at 2488 pounds; he will now be the largest whale at Georgia Aquarium. He will add a male presence to the strong female group, providing new opportunities for social interactions and possible courtship behaviors. The trainers and animal care staff, many of whom formed a relationship with Nunavik when he was at Georgia Aquarium previously, will be incorporating him into training sessions, enrichment, and routine healthcare sessions.

 

Beluga whales in their native ranges are impacted by a rapidly changing environment and other human impacts. The research and education that is done at aquariums is vital to the overall understanding of those changes. Georgia Aquarium’s experts’ partner with government agencies, conservation groups, and other aquariums to assist in critical research programs that will have a direct impact on wild beluga whale populations. Nunavik will join an ongoing research project in the coming months. The Aquarium partnered with NOAA and the University of Santa Cruz on a multi-year study that began in 2018 and helped determine how much energy beluga whales expend when they are swimming, resting, and diving. The data can be collected and used to help make crucial decisions on activities that may negatively impact wild beluga whales’ health and their environments.

 

Beluga whales are typically found in arctic waters near Alaska, Canada, Norway, and the west coast of Greenland. Researchers estimate there are more than 136,000 beluga whales worldwide. Some subpopulations of beluga whales are experiencing heightened pressures and more rapid declines, like belugas in Alaska’s Cook Inlet, which are considered ‘Endangered”.

 

Pressures facing wild belugas are numerous and varied, including increased noise from shipping and drilling, increased pollution in their environments, contaminated and diminished food supply, and rising ocean temperatures. The future of this species is in jeopardy, threatening not just belugas, but the arctic ecosystems in which they play a pivotal role.

 

By working collaboratively, accredited aquariums caring for beluga whales can partner on international research and conservation efforts, gather data and knowledge that can be used to make critical decisions that impact beluga whales’ native areas and ignite an interest and connection for millions of people across the continent. The expert collaborative has been tapped for rescue efforts and as a resource for both the science community and government officials on many occasions Through these efforts and more, beluga whales will hopefully continue to thrive both in aquariums and in the ocean.

Sharks in Danger this Shark Week

Who doesn’t enjoy heading to the beach during summertime? But with the increase of visitors to beaches across the globe, the ‘hot’ topic of discussion is shark attacks.

In recent years, the worldwide average of confirmed unprovoked shark attacks has been declining. In 2022, the worldwide total was a record low at 57, compared to previous years when the average was 70. A new study, conducted by Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station, also shows that the risk of a shark bite for surfers, swimmers, and divers in California, specifically, has dropped by 91 percent in the last 50 years.

With unprovoked shark attacks on the downward trajectory, what about human effects on sharks?

A recent report shows the global shark population has decreased by more than 70% in the last 50 years. This is a startling decline and poses a large threat to the recovery rate of these populations. But what is causing such a rapid drop?

Researchers have uncovered vast amounts of information regarding sharks, their behavior, and feeding patterns. This information has created a deeper understanding of sharks and their important role in our ocean’s systemic balance.

For decades, a gruesome practice called shark finning has resulted in the mass killing of sharks worldwide. This process involves cutting off a shark’s fin while discarding the remaining body, often dumping it into the ocean. The shark finning industry is still legal in areas across the globe and has increased in the past decade due to the growing demand for shark fin soup – a popular dish in many countries.

How many sharks are killed every year?

An estimated 100 million sharks are killed each year. To put this into perspective – that is nearly 2 million times the number of confirmed shark attacks worldwide in 2022 (57).

How does this affect our ocean?

As an apex predator, sharks play an important role in our ocean’s ecosystem. When there is a significant decrease in any population, the results throw off the entire system’s balance. The decline of these predators causes an increased population of their prey. For example, the decline of the endangered great hammerhead has caused the population of stingrays to increase. The growing stingray population now eats more of their prey – scallops, clams, and oysters. This not only impacts these prey populations, and therefore the biodiversity of the ecosystem; but also impacts human fisheries.

It is also difficult for many shark species to reproduce as quickly as they are being diminished, due to their slow growth and reproductive rates. This makes many shark species highly susceptible to extinction. Several species of shark are already endangered, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, including the great hammerhead, zebra shark, whale shark, and over 125 other species. 98 other species are listed as critically endangered.

How are we helping sharks?

At Georgia Aquarium, and around the world, our teams are educating the public on the critical role sharks play in our ocean’s ecosystems. Government officials are also implementing protective regulations for endangered shark species, and in recent years, over 30 countries have placed full or partial bans on finning.

Research is also an important part of protecting and preserving shark species. A few years ago, Georgia Aquarium teams traveled to the Bimini Shark Lab in Bimini, Bahamas to study a variety of shark species and how pollution with microplastics affects them. Georgia Aquarium researchers were also the first to fully sequence the shark genome from blood drawn from its whale sharks, which scientists now use to study health implications with sharks and their unique adaptations.

It is imperative, now more than ever, that we spread the message on the importance of sharks to our ocean. At Georgia Aquarium, our Sharks! Predators of the Deep gallery serves to transform our guests’ view of sharks from fear to fascination. Many of the shark species in our one-million-gallon exhibit are endangered and serve as important ambassadors. By providing a deeper understanding of sharks, we hope to inspire compassion and create advocates to share our message of conservation.

Learn more about the decline of sharks and their importance to our ocean:

Reef Sharks Being Pushed to Brink of Extinction, New Research Shows

New Global Study Finds Unprecedented Shark and Ray Extinction Risk

Sharks & Rays in Rapid Global Decline: IUCN Report

 

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