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Hello Visitor,
Certificant Highlight
Jenn Bock, CPBT-KA of Wild Ontario, University of Guelph took a moment to talk with us!
 “I began my training journey in 2006 as a summer student at the precursor to Wild Ontario - the University of Guelph’s Wild Bird Clinic. I was extremely fortunate to get my very first lessons from the one and only Amy Fennell, now of Natural Encounters Inc.! Our entire small team may have been relatively inexperienced at that time, but even then we were dedicated to learning, improving and growing. My training education continued at the Mountsberg Raptor Centre in 2010 where I had the opportunity to learn alongside great new teammates and awesome new birds!
My first IAATE Conference in 2011 was a total game-changer. I was introduced to a whole new world dedicated to the best practices in training and inspiring excellence in others. A fire was lit and I wanted to learn more, do better and find ways to pay it forward. The IATCB-KA certification was another logical step to help me along that path.
In my role as Director of Wild Ontario I’m excited to continue using this information to raise the bar for our bird team and to improve the learning opportunities for our awesome, passionate student volunteers.
There’s a lot to cover in the study guide, but I genuinely enjoyed the learning materials. The in-depth theory provided great perspective and strengthened my interactions with the animals in my life, including the human animals! I even think about the science of behaviour change when I’m interacting with my husband and our son. That training project is still a work in progress ;)
My advice to anybody considering certification, especially if it seems a little overwhelming is to try to focus on the lessons, not the test at the end. If you focus on the learning opportunities laid out in the study guide you will start benefiting from the process long before you head to the testing center! Then you can tackle that last part when you’re ready!
And of course, never hesitate to connect with the wonderful people in this community for guidance and inspiration!”
We would love to highlight you or your facility in our newsletter and on our Facebook page. Let us know the amazing things that you are doing to help raise the bar! Contact kelly.garrison@accgov.com for more information.
Want to find out more about setting these types of standards within your facility or becoming certified? Contact the IATCB board by visiting our website!
Are you a Hopeful Certificant?
Looking for the study guide for the CPAT- KA exam? Click here
Looking for the study guide for the CPBT- KA exam? Click here
Already certified?
The CPBT-KA and CPAT-KA credential is valid for 5 years from the date it is awarded. To renew the credential a certificant must either re-take the examination after 5 years or accumulate sixty Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) by attending IATCB approved workshops, seminars, classes, or conferences. Head over to here to check out a list of approved CEUs!
Please note that all CEUs MUST be claimed with two (2) months of the event, submissions will not be accepted after this period!
Trainers Talk
How to Make a DIY Time Delay Enrichment Feeder; By Kyle Banton-Jones
 Time delay feeders are a fantastic tool for animal care staff to use as many animals in an institution have the tendency to adapt their routines and schedules around their caretakers. Timed feeders allow animal care staff to essentially provide enrichment and foraging opportunities when they are not physically there, which can be immensely useful when your not able to spend all day with one specific animal or are only able to enter their exhibit a few times in the day. Read On…
Species Spotlight
 Pancake Tortoise, Malacochersus tornieri is a small, flat, and soft-shelled tortoise of rarely weighing more than 500 g. It has a flat and pliable shell resulting from limited bony shell development with a covering of thin keratinous scutes. The flat shape and shell pliability are fundamental adaptations which have enabled the species to successfully utilize rock crevice microhabitats in East Africa. It is an inhabitant of arid thorn-bush and savanna landscapes, where it lives on hills with rocky outcrops (kopjes). The species is not a migrant, but periodic, local movement between crevices has been observed. Pancake Tortoises are reported to eat a variety of herbs and succulent plants, and to like flowers. This species apparently emerges to feed only during the early morning hours. Due to the cryptic nature of the species, most information on reproduction derives from a mixture of in situ wild observations, in situ captive observations, and general captive observations. Mating has been recorded in the range in January and February, and a single or occasionally two large elongate eggs are laid annually at the beginning of the rainy season. IUCN states these are critically endangered. The single most serious human is overexploitation for the live exotic animal. Overexploitation for trade can rapidly deplete previously stable populations, as recolonization is limited due to the species' limited movement.
The International Avian Trainers Certification Board and the International Animal Trainers Certification Board, IATCB, offers you a way to gain professional credibility, increase your earnings potential, and advance your career. We live in a competitive world, and animal trainers are no different than anyone else looking for advanced knowledge and skill in their profession. IATCB endorses voluntary certification by examination for all professionals involved with animals, including trainers, educators, handlers, veterinarians, and all others involved in the care and handling of animals.
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