Final - June 19, 2015
FINAL CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
2015 Felid TAG Conference
SSP Meetings (July 12 th – July 13 th )
Felid Husbandry Course (July 10 th – July 13 th )
Host: Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
Friday, July 10 th
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Felid Husbandry Course Registration and Check-in – Boardroom 1
6:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Felid Husbandry Course – Ice Breaker – Terrace Room
Saturday, July 11 th
Breakfast opens early at 6:00 AM
7:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Felid Husbandry Course – Salon C + D
7:30-8:00 a.m. – Welcome and introductions
8:00-11:45 a.m. - Course sessions
12:00 PM. - Buses leave for the Zoo
12:30 PM - Lunch at the Zoo
1:00 PM - Snow leopard exhibit renovation brainstorming
1:15 - 6:00 PM - Zoo visit and behind-the-scenes tours (see map and times)
6:00 – 7:00 PM - Dinner at Jambo Grill
7:00 – 8:30 PM - After-dinner discussions at Education Building Lecture Hall
8:30 PM – Buses depart from Education parking lot for hotel
Sunday, July 12 th
Breakfast opens early at 6:00 AM
7:00 AM – 7:30 AM
Registration – Boardroom1
7:00 AM – late night
Husbandry Course – ROOM CHANGES TO Salon A + B
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Snow Leopard SSP – Salon C
Noon – 1:00 PM
Lunch provided (Husbandry Course and SSP Attendees)

Final - June 19, 2015
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Amur Leopard SSP Meeting – Salon D
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Ocelot SSP Meeting – Carnegie Room (Downstairs)
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Jaguarundi SSP Meeting – Carnegie Room (Downstairs)
3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Registration – Boardroom 1
5:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Dinner provided for Husbandry Course participants
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Husbandry Course - After-dinner reports and discussion
Monday, July 13 th
Breakfast opens at 6:30 AM
7:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Husbandry Course – Salon A + B
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tiger SSP Meeting – Salon C
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
North American Cat SSP Meeting – Lynx, Puma, Bobcat (CLOSED) – Carnegie Room
(Downstairs)
LUNCH ON OWN
1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Registration – Boardroom 1
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
North American Cats Meeting (OPEN) – Carnegie Room (Downstairs)
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Fishing Cat SSP Meeting - Salon A + B
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Clouded Leopard SSP Meeting – Salon D

Final - June 19, 2015
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
African Small Cat SSP Meeting - Salon A + B
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Pallas Cat SSP Meeting - Carnegie Room (Downstairs)
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Kelly Marnewick, Endangered Wildlife Trust – Salon D
Captive cheetah and lion trade in SA: exotic pets, voluntourism and canned hunting
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Felid TAG Ice Breaker – Terrace Room
TUESDAY, JULY 14 TH
Breakfast opens at 6:30 AM
7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Registration – Boardroom 1
8:00 AM – 8:10 AM – Grand Ballroom
Welcome to Pittsburgh – President & CEO Dr. Barbara Baker, DVM and Ken Kaemmerer,
Curator of Mammals
8:10 AM – 8:15 AM
Introduction/Meeting overview – Don Goff and Cheryl Morris, Felid TAG Co-Chairs
GLOBAL CONSERVATION EFFORTS FOR SUSTAINING FELIDS
8:15 AM – 8:40 AM
Twenty-Five Years: Science, Husbandry and Conservation – Bill Swanson, The Cincinnati
Zoo and Botanical Garden
8:40 AM – 9:30 AM
A Global Approach: Improving the Future for Big Cats – Jo Cook, Amur Leopard and Tiger
Alliance
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Cheetah Sustainability Program: A unique approach to population management – Adrienne
Crosier, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
10:00 AM – 10:20 AM
Break

Final - June 19, 2015
CONSERVATION & SUSTAINABILITY I
10:20 AM – 10:50 AM
Conserving cheetahs in South Africa: Tackling the challenges from every angle– Kelly
Marnewick, Endangered Wildlife Trust
10:50 AM – 11:10 AM
Using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) for lion conservation in Botswana – Nanette
Bragin, Denver Zoo
11:10 AM – 11:30 AM
Updates From the Field: Tiger conservation projects conducted and supported by zoos –
Tara Harris, Minnesota Zoo
11:30 AM – 11:50 AM
How a small zoo is making a big impact for servals – Emily Lutz, Idaho Falls Zoo at
Tautphaus Park
11:50 AM – 1:00 PM
Lunch Provided – Terrace Room
FELID HEALTH
1:00 PM – 1:20 PM
Identifying conserved proteins involved in the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy in the cheetah – Diana Koester, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Felid TAG Emerging Scientist Award Recipient
1:20 PM – 1:40 PM
Using physical therapy to correct swimmer syndrome in a snow leopard cub – Amanda Ista,
Milwaukee County Zoo
1:40 PM – 2:00 PM
Health implications of whole prey feeding to clouded leopards – Ray Ball, Tampa’s Lowry
Park Zoo
2:00 PM – 2:20 PM
Evaluation of Carnivore Essentials (commercial pork diet) for zoo managed felids – Cheryl
Morris, Iowa State University and Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium
2:20 PM – 2:40 PM
Felid Veterinary Update – Ellen Bronson and Karen Terio, Felid Veterinary Advisors
2:40 PM – 3:00 PM
Break

Final - June 19, 2015
HUSBANDRY AND MANAGEMENT I
3:00 PM – 3:20 PM
Changing zoo keeper culture by letting the tigers choose – Dan Dembiec, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
3:20 PM – 3:40 PM
Dynamic exhibit design – Kay Buffamonte, Philadelphia Zoo
3:40 PM – 4:00 PM
Lucy: Success at assist rearing 0.1 ocelot – Denise Ibarra, Abilene Zoo
4:00 PM – 4:20 PM
Assessing hormonal onset of puberty in captive cheetahs using fecal steroid metabolites –
Morgan Maly, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Steering Committee Meeting (CLOSED)
EVENING EVENTS
6:30 PM – Terrace Room
Wine, beer, snacks with special guest, Nisar Malik, Filmmaker and CEO Walkabout Films
7:00 PM – Terrace Room
“Snow Leopard: Beyond the Myth (2007)” –
Presentation by Nisar Malik and showing of film.

Final - June 19, 2015
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15 TH
Breakfast opens at 6:30 AM
7:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Registration – Boardroom 1
CONSERVATION RESEARCH I
8:00 AM – 8:20 AM
The challenge with ACTH challenges – Jilian Fazio, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
8:20 AM – 8:40 AM
Update on semen banking for population management in small felids – Lindsey Vansandt,
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
8:40 AM – 9:00 AM
Update on artificial insemination for population management in small felids – Bill Swanson,
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
9:00 AM – 9:20 AM
Evaluating fertility in male snow leopards: Finding the duds among the dudes – Jason
Herrick, National Foundation for Fertility Research
9:20 AM – 9:40 AM
An analysis of temporal variation in prey use and livestock depredation of snow leopards and its impacts on management – Matthew Jevitt, Duquesne University
9:40 AM – 10:00 AM
Break
CONSERVATION RESEARCH II
10:00 AM – 10:20 AM
Snow leopard phylogeography: Implications for conservation and management –
Jan Janecka, Duquesne University
10:20 AM – 10:40 AM
99 Lives Cat Genome Sequencing Project – Using genome sequences to support health and conservation in felids – Leslie Lyons, University of Missouri
10:40 AM – 11:00 AM
Using genomics to explore diversity and adaptation among tiger subspecies – Jennifer C.
Broderick, Duquesne University
11:00 AM – 11:20 AM
Exotic genome repository: A multi-institutional, distributed biological archive for the preservation of exotic tissues, genomes and data – Brian Davis, National Human Genome
Research Institute, NIH

Final - June 19, 2015
11:20 AM – 11:40 AM
Exploring the adaptations of bobcats to diverse ecosystems by identifying genomic regions under selection – Sarah Sprauer, Duquesne University
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Afternoon & Evening
12:15 PM
Buses begin departing for Zoo
Lunch at the Zoo – Party Tent
Behind the scenes tours (see map and times)
3:00 PM Silent Auction Begins – Swahili Pies and Fries across from Jambo Grill
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Cocktails and Poster presentations – Between ACC Working Wild Suite and Islands
Clouded leopard and Warty Pig Exhibits
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Big cats inspiring conservation by demonstrating natural behaviors on cue.
Rachel Hahn and Amy Schilz. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
Management of a diabetic caracal through voluntary injection training.
Amanda Ista. Milwaukee County Zoo.
Voluntary venipuncture on a 1.0 Amur tiger without enclosure modification.
Mark McDonough and Kristine Trotta. Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium.
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM – Jambo Grill
Dinner and Silent Auction Wrap-up (Closing in 3 Phases - 6:00, 6:15, 6:30 PM)
7:15 PM – 8:30 PM – Education Building Lecture Hall
The Endangered Lion: Fostering Closer Ties to Save Africa’s Great Cat
Presentation by Luke Hunter, President and Chief Conservation Officer of PANTHERA
8:45 PM – 9:15 PM
Buses return to hotel

Final - June 19, 2015
THURSDAY, JULY 16 TH
Breakfast opens at 6:30 AM
HUSBANDRY AND MANAGEMENT II
8:00 AM – 8:20 AM
Improving quality of life for captive felids through applied behavior analysis – Rachel Hahn
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
8:20 AM – 8:40 AM
Changing the management strategies of aggressive African lion introductions Part 1: The challenges we faced – Amy Schilz, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
8:40 AM – 9:00 AM
Changing the management strategies of aggressive African lion introductions Part 2: Our methods for success – Amy Schilz, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
9:00 AM – 9:20 AM
The Eyes have it: Training 0.1 Jaguar for voluntary application of eye drops following cataract surgery – Sarah Colman, Palm Beach Zoo
9:20 AM – 9:40 AM
Break
TAG UPDATES
9:40 AM – 9:50 AM
Steering Committee Report – Don Goff, Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo
9:50 AM – 10:00 AM
Husbandry Course Report – Barb Palmer, Denver Zoo
10:00 AM – 10:20 AM
Felid Research Initiatives and Challenges– Jason Herrick, TAG Research Coordinator
10:20 AM – 10:40 AM
Carnivore diet purchasing decisions: survey results – Cheryl Morris, TAG Nutrition Advisor
10:40 AM – 11:00 AM
Future meeting format discussion and 2016 site announcement
11:00 AM
ADJOURN – SEE YOU NEXT YEAR
LUNCH ON OWN
12:30 PM
Bus departs Comfort Inn for Post Conference Trip to THE WILDS (Dinner included)
6:30 PM
Bus departs The Wilds and returns to the Comfort Inn by 9:00 – 9:30 PM