Courtesy photo.
MOORPARK — The Moorpark College Foundation and the Exotic Animal Training Management (EATM) program at Moorpark College hosted the sixth annual Rendezvous at the Zoo fundraising event on Thursday, Oct. 12. The college hosted more than 200 guests including dignitaries, Chancellor Greg Gillespie, members of the Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees, and Platinum Paw Award Honoree Martine Colette. The Platinum Paw award was created in 2014 as a way to recognize the recipient’s dedication and ongoing support of America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College.
The fundraiser’s mission was to generate proceeds to invest in the zoo’s constant improvements and upgrades. The development of the Master Plan currently aims to bring larger more naturalistic habitats for Ira (the lion) and other big cats that call the zoo home. Since EATM’s inception in 1974, the training zoo has grown from a small program with one animal – “Kiska” the wolf – on a lower compound to what is now ‘America’s Teaching Zoo’ with almost 200 animals on five acres overlooking the Moorpark College campus.
The current EATM class of approximately 90 first and second-year students from around the world, as far as Brentwood, England and as near as Thousand Oaks, California, flawlessly orchestrated the including animal presentations and shows. The program trains students to work safely and humanely with wild and exotic animals at zoos, aquariums, and wildlife facilities across the country. While many animal training programs grant certificates, EATM is the only one in the nation that allows students to earn a degree while working hands on with animals.
Evening animal exhibitions showcased the special bond student trainers share with the animals. Amongst the crowd at Rendezvous at the Zoo was Mickey, an Orange Winged Amazon handled by second year students Angela Lopez and Tatiana Orozco. Coincidently, Orozco comes to the EATM with prior experience working at The Wildlife Waystation (WW) founded by the night’s honoree Martine Colette and hopes to return to the Waystation post-graduation.
In her address to the crowd, Platinum Paw Recipient Colette, who has had more than 75,000 animals touched her hands commented on the passing of the torch to future generations of animal handlers. She shared her excitement and gratitude for “the wonderful group of young people being trained by this amazing college to take my place; they are the future animal heroes and custodians,” Colette remarked.
“The Exotic Animal Training and Management Program is a testament to the importance of Career and Technical Education programs. These programs provide students with opportunities to take specialized paths and pursue their passions; the EATM students from around the world are a perfect example of this,” stated Trustee Dianne McKay.
Fast Facts on EATM
- The zoo is conservation-based
- America’s Teaching Zoo is the only public zoo in Ventura County
- Animals are trained using only positive reinforcement
- Admissions to the program is on a lottery-based system
- Before graduating students work with each primates, carnivores, herbivores, and birds
Visit America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College on weekends throughout the year from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The next upcoming event will be held on October 28 & 29 as the zoo will be hosting the annual “Boo at the Zoo.” Entry will be $8 for adults and $6 for children 3-12. Children under the age of 2 enter for free. For a detailed list of upcoming zoo events visit http://zoo.moorparkcollege.edu/events/
MOORPARK COLLEGE, one of three colleges in the Ventura County Community College District, was founded in 1967. It is set on 150 beautiful acres, nestled in the foothills on the southeastern flank of Ventura County, about 40 miles from UCLA, and approximately 75 miles from UC Santa Barbara. It is also a short drive from CSU Northridge, CSU Channel Islands, and California Lutheran University. Moorpark College was recognized in the Huffington Post in March of 2015 as the fourth-best community college in the nation. It has an excellent reputation for university transfer preparation, and its signature career/technical programs include nursing, radiation technology, biotechnology, and exotic animal training, which incorporates the world-renowned America’s Teaching Zoo. The college also offers a dynamic range of classes and programs in the visual and performing arts, and its pristine athletic fields and mild climate provide an excellent home for student athletes.