The Elephant Managers Association (EMA) is an international non-profit organization, for elephant professionals and interested people. EMA, having the largest collection of elephant experts and enthusiasts in the world, promotes welfare, husbandry, and scientific research of

captive elephants Elephants can be found in various captive facilities such as a zoo, sanctuary, circus, or camp, usually under veterinary supervision. They can be used for educational, entertainment, or work purposes. The earliest evidence of captive elephants d ...

, through its publication "grey matters", communication and relations among elephant managers through an annual conference and publications, and is also engaged in public education, as well as

Conservation biology Conservation biology is the study of the conservation of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions. It is an int ...

of the worlds wild populations of elephants.

History

Elephant professionals in North America began, during the early eighties, to gather for informal meetings, and while enjoying the sharing of information, it was realized that there was a need for a formal platform, why EMA was founded in 1988 in Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, by elephant keepers in USA and Canada. EMA initially focused on husbandry issues and training of elephants, in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, and has since then become the largest international organization of elephant professionals and enthusiasts, also as an international platform for people outside the USA.

Members

EMAs present members are Animal care

administrator Administrator or admin may refer to: Job roles Computing and internet * Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database * Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum * N ...

s, veterinarians, researchers,

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

zoo volunteer A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to z ...

s, and wildlife enthusiasts, from all over the world. Anyone interested in elephants, who share the objectives and goals of EMA, can become a member. The present professional members are representing over 80% of all Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) elephant-holding facilities and the majority of private owners and circuses.

Board

The present board as of 2020, consists of executive Director of EMA, Daryl Hoffman, Curator of Large Mammals at Houston Zoo. President of EMAs board is Vernon Presley who is Curator of Elephants and Ungulates at Fresno Chaffee Zoo. Vice President is Shawn Finnell who is currently involved in the Conservation, Training, & Membership Committees. Other board members include Secretary Tripp Gorman who is elephant keeper at

Fort Worth Zoo The Fort Worth Zoo is a zoo in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, that was founded in 1909 with one lion, two bear cubs, an alligator, a coyote, a peacock and a few rabbits. The zoo now is home to 7,000 native and exotic animals and has been named ...

, Rob Conachie, elephant keeper at Pairi Daiza in Belgium, Adam Felts, Curator of Heart of Africa and Asia Quest at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Cecil Jackson, Jr., elephant manager at

Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is the sixth oldest zoo in the United States, founded in 1873 and officially opening in 1875. It is located in the Avondale neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. It originally began with in the middle of the c ...

s, and Mike McClure, General Curator and elephant Manager at The Maryland Zoo.

Activities

EMA today promote high standards of safety and humane treatment in elephants but is also linked as an independent partner to International Elephant Foundation (IEF), and is serving as an advisory capacity to many regulatory agencies, including United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). EMA has an Executive Committee to assist in mission-focused actions of the organization, as well as a number of Committees to achieve EMA's mission, including Husbandry, training, Behavioral Enrichment, Conservation, Education, Publications, Research, Ethics & Legislation, Membership, Conference, organization, Nominations, Merchandise, Grants, Scholarships, Honors and Awards, and Social Media.

References

External links

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EMA
on Facebook {{DEFAULTSORT:Elephant Managers Association Association for Computing Machinery 1988 establishments in the United States Education-related professional associations Organizations established in 1988