By James F. Gesualdi

Awareness of the power of new beginnings in each moment is “only just the start,” to quote songwriter Robert Lamm in Chicago’s 1970 hit “Beginnings.” There is so much happening right now with the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Animal Care unit, and its Center for Animal Welfare. The new actions and initiatives each have effects and impacts, and ultimately should benefit animals protected under the AWA. Here are the key developments in context, followed by action items to advance your work for animals under the AWA.

The Academy’s Safe Capture program offers in-person, virtual, and e-learning training for the chemical immobilization and anesthesia of domestic and wildlife species. Learn more about Safe Capture website.

Registration is now open for the following Academy Safe Capture livestream event:

November 14–16: This is a three-day online event, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pacific Time November 14 and 15; and 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. November 16.

Registration is now open for the following Academy Safe Capture in-person events:

Texas (Humble): November 8–9: This event is being hosted by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, and is open to all participants.

California (Escondido): January 24–25, 2024: This event is being hosted by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and is open to all participants.

CE credits approved by the following organizations:

For more information, or to register for these events, please visit the Safe Capture website.

Looking for an additional wildlife medicine online training opportunity? The National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA) has a new course with RACE-approved content to provide veterinary practitioners with an introduction on how to approach wildlife medicine cases for the purpose of stabilizing an animal and subsequently transferring to an authorized wildlife rehabilitator. Academy members receive 10% off registration in 2023 with code: SDZWAA.

Have a question about your learning account? Our learning partner, CypherWorx, has a very robust support hub where you can search for help! Visit the CypherWorx Support Hub for more details.

If you need more specific help, you can also submit a help ticket through the support hub, or call 888-685-4440 to speak with a CypherWorx customer support representative.

For more information about the Academy, please send us an email at SDZWAAcademySales@sdzwa.org.

Individual, group, and institution rates are available. Please contact SDZWAAcademySales@sdzwa.org.

To view archived Academy Newsletters, visit our archive page.

Learn more on our website sdzwaacademy.org.