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ABOUT AE |
Tim
Desmond and Gail Laule, founders of Active
Environments, began their careers as marine
mammal trainers at Marineland of the
Pacific. They were pioneers in the use of
training to gain the voluntary cooperation
of whales, dolphins, and sea lions in
husbandry and medical procedures. They
developed the highly effective social
management technique called “cooperative
feeding” which has since been documented to
reduce aggression and increase positive
social behavior with numerous species. With
this experience, and a strong interest in
animal welfare, Active Environments was
formed in 1985 as an animal behavior
consulting firm specializing in the
application of positive reinforcement
training techniques. In 1996, Margaret
Whittaker joined AE as a behavioral
consultant, coming with valuable experience
in the care and training of a variety of
species including primates, pinnipeds, and
elephants.
Since its inception, AE has been a leader in
innovation and documented results. The most
noteworthy contribution to animal welfare
was the development of protected contact as
an alternative management system for
elephants. PC has been recognized by both
the zoological and animal welfare
communities as being a safe, effective, and
humane method for managing elephants. They
also introduced the term “behavioral
management” to describe a comprehensive,
system-based approach to caring and managing
captive animals of all species. AE works
with exhibit designers and architects to
design facilities that maintain healthy,
well adapted animals who engage in a full
range of species typical behavior.
Today, Active Environments remains the
leader in providing assistance to zoos,
sanctuaries, and laboratories to achieve the
highest quality of care and welfare for
captive animals through the use of positive
reinforcement training techniques.
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ae consultants |
Gail Laule
Gail received her Masters degree in
Behavioral Science from California State
University, Dominquez Hills. She has been
interested in animal welfare since beginning
her career at Marineland in California in
1979, where she helped pioneer the use of
training techniques to gain the voluntary
cooperation of marine mammals in husbandry
and medical procedures. In 1985, Gail and
her partner, Tim Desmond, formed Active
Environments to provide consulting services
to enhance the care and welfare of captive
animals. They developed innovative
techniques to achieve this goal including:
protected contact, a positive reinforcement-based system for managing
elephants; cooperative feeding, a technique
for enhancing positive social interaction in
groups of animals; and behavioral
management, an integrated systems approach
to optimal care for captive species. For the
past 14 years, Gail has worked full-time as
a consultant internationally, helping zoos,
biomedical facilities, and sanctuaries
develop behavioral management programs to
improve captive animal care and well-being.
Gail has been an invited speaker at numerous
conferences and meetings including: Salk
Institute, National Research Council,
American Association of Zoo Veterinarians,
American and Canadian Associations of
Laboratory Animal Science, Scientists Center
for Animal Welfare, American Veterinary
Medical Association, American International
Societies of Primatologists, and the Animal
Behavior Society. Gail is also president of
Wildlife in Need, a US-based non-profit and
sister organization to AE, that is currently
engaged in conservation and animal welfare
projects in the Philippines. |
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Margaret A. Whittaker
Margaret began her career in 1986 as a
zookeeper at the Houston Zoo specializing in
primates, elephants, and pinnipeds.
Behavioral management, conservation of
endangered species, and animal welfare have
been central themes throughout her career.
As supervisor of large mammals and elephant
manager, she coordinated the first protected
contact elephant program that consisted of a
breeding group of Asian elephants, including
a calf born into, and fully trained in,
protected contact. Margaret has been a
consultant for Active Environments since
1996, assisting zoological, biomedical, and
sanctuary facilities in the improvement of
animal care and welfare. She has consulted
in facilities throughout North America,
Mexico, South America, Southeast Asia, and
Europe. She worked extensively with M. D.
Anderson Cancer Center’s Veterinary Science
Park helping to expand the behavioral
management program for their colony of 150
chimpanzees. Margaret is the studbook keeper
and population manager for Diana monkeys,
and is actively involved in the Association
of Zoos and Aquariums’ Old World Monkey
Taxon Advisory Group as the behavioral
advisor. She has been an invited speaker at
the American and Canadian Associations of
Laboratory Animal Science, American
Association of Zoo Veterinarians, American
and International Societies of
Primatologists, Laboratory Animal Managers
Association, American Society of Laboratory
Animal Practitioners, Regional Aquatics
Workshop, American Federation of
Aviculturists, American Association of Zoo
Keepers, Congresso de Sociedade de
Zoologicos de Brasil, Encontro Internacional
de Zoologicos Brazil, and Unity Approaching
Sustainable Management.. |
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Ellen Leach (behavior
specialist - cats)
Ellen has worked as an animal professional
for more than 20 years. For most of that
time, she worked as a zookeeper in several
AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums)
institutions, often specializing in
elephants, but has cared for many types of
animals. Ellen has also run her own
consulting business for 15 years. Her focus
is on teaching individuals and groups the
many benefits of positive reinforcement
training. Ellen has a degree in psychology
with a special emphasis in the study of
animal learning. Although Ellen has come to
know and love a wide variety of species
during her career, she's always had a
special attraction to cats. When she decided
to leave the zoo field, she knew domestic
felines were her calling, so she decided to
apply her successful training techniques to
these often misunderstood animals. After
years of training elephants, she thought she
was finally ready for this challenge! Active
Environments is proud to have Ellen and her
special talents as part of our consulting
team. Ellen lives in Seattle with her
charming and very happy cats. |
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Susan Benedon
Susan has worked with animals in zoological
facilities, film and commercial work, and
shelter and rescue settings; she has always
focused on animal training and welfare. She
earned her Bachelor's Degree in Animal
Science from the University of
Massachusetts, Amherst. Susan’s commitment
to an animal career began while she was
still in high school, managing a Children’s
Zoo where she raised and trained a variety
of exotic animals for conservation education
programs. In
California, she worked as an animal trainer
at the Los Angeles Zoo in a show called
“Wild in the City” with a variety of species
including birds of prey, raccoon, fox, and
mountain lion. She also participated in
training projects around the zoo, including
training endangered drill baboons for
artificial insemination. After leaving the
Zoo, Susan continued her work with animals
in a company that provides trained animals
for the film industry. As one of their top
trainers, Susan’s credits include:
"Friends", "Mousehunt", "Legally Blonde",
"Memoirs of a Geisha", "Million Dollar
Baby", "Deja Vu", and “Evan Almighty”. Her
national and international commercial work
includes: Purina, Iams, Pedigree, and a
series of Post-It Note commercials with
squirrels. As
an Active Environments consultant, Susan
brings vast expertise with domestic animals,
especially dogs, and a broad base of
experience in presentation and show
development with birds and mammals. Her
devotion to animal welfare is consistent
with Active Environment’s philosophy and
approach to captive animal care and
management. Susan volunteers her time and
resources for dog and pig rescues. In fact,
95% of all the animals she has owned or
trained have been rescued from shelters. |
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keynote speakers |
| AE
Consultants are frequent speakers at a
wide-range of venues, from professional
conferences and symposiums to community
organizations and private meetings. Our
experiences, successes, and personal
interactions with many exotic animal species and
our professional commitment to conservation and
animal welfare make for an interesting and
entertaining presentation. Contact us for more
information. |
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 We at
Active Environments have a personal and
professional commitment to the conservation of
species and the environment. That’s why in 1998
we formed Wildlife in Need (WIN), a US-based
non-profit organization. WIN’s mission: We are a
group of animal welfare and environmental
advocates committed to enriching the lives of
individual animals and contributing to the
survival of the world’s species through habitat
preservation and restoration, community-based
action, public education, and professional
training. WIN has a cooperative relationship
with Ocean Adventure (OA), an open water marine
park in Subic Bay with a strong conservation
agenda. Together we are implementing a number of
conservation activities in the Philippines,
including the following:
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Wildlife Rescue and
Rehabilitation
Center to care for
sick, injured, and
confiscated
wildlife. |
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Sea turtle rescue
and rehabilitation,
nest protection and
monitoring, and
public education. |
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Whale and dolphin
rescue and
rehabilitation;
leading the
development of a
Philippine National
Marine Mammal
Stranding Network.
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Public education
campaign "Keep
Wildlife Wild"
against tragic and
illegal wildlife pet
trade. |
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Alternative
livelihood projects
with local
indigenous Aetas
--environmentally
sustainable
beekeeping and
guided Forest Walk. |
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animal welfare |
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| We at
Active Environments believe in the right of
every captive animal to experience the highest
degree of welfare, and an optimal level of care.
We are firm believers in the power, and the
benefits of non-aversive, positive training
techniques to help achieve this result. That is
why, whenever and however possible, we spread
the word and provide assistance to facilities
that cannot otherwise afford our services. To
date, AE has provided on site consulting
services pro bono to facilities in Mexico, South
America, and Southeast Asia. Knowledge leads to
action, therefore we are committed to continuing
this practice to improve the lives of captive
animals everywhere. |
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resumes |
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papers
[click on title to review paper] |
Elephants
Protected Contact Beyond the Barrier
Sedation Procedures for Dental Surgery on a Female
Asian Elephant
Medical Management of Asian Elephants at the Houston
Zoological Gardens
Protected Contact and Elephant Welfare
Converting Elephant Programs to Protected Contact
The Politics of Protected Contact
Protected Contact Elephant Training
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Primates
Managing Monkey Behavior: Advancing the Social
Management of Old World Monkeys
A Behavioral Management Approach to Caring for Great
Apes
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General Training
The
Use of Positive Reinforcement Techniques in the
Medical Management of Captive Animals
The Use of Behavioral Techniques to Reduce
Aggression and Enhance Socialization
Behavioral Management an Integrated Approach to
Animal Care
The Use of Positive Reinforcement Training in the
Management of Species for Reproduction
Applied Problem Solving to Diminish Abnormal
Behavior
Prototyping Naturalistic Enrichment Features: A Case
Study
The
Use of Positive Reinforcement Techniques to Enhance
the Care, Management, and Welfare of Laboratory
Primates
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Use of Positive Reinforcement Techniques in Primates
to Enhance Animal Care, Research and Enrichment
Training to Enhance Socialization and Reproduction
of Drills
The Role of Behavior Management in Enhancing Exhibit
Design and Use
Positive Reinforcement as an Enrichment Strategy
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