Shelby McDonald used to work at a zoo. She was shocked by the number of announcements they received about animal deaths and transfers.
“I really didn’t have a personal relationship with any of the animals, and yet each announcement still had some type of emotional impact on me,” McDonald said. “But some work with animals for years, others for decades. So I was just curious about what that felt like on the other side.”
McDonald turned to research to find some answers, but she couldn’t find much on formal recommendations on how to cope within the zoo setting. That’s when McDonald got together with researchers from Colorado State University, and the school – in partnership with the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance – surveyed nearly 1,700 volunteers and employees to find out how zoos handle animal loss and grief…