The EATM Experience

On May 7, Moorpark College graduated 49 students from its Exotic Animal Training and Management (EATM) program after a two-year occupational program preparing them for working with exotic animals.

EATM students are required to work at America’s Teaching Zoo most days and weekends, in addition to the hours spent working with and caring for the animals and attending classes. The zoo has almost 200 different animals and is entirely maintained by the students.

Graduates of the EATM program are working all over the world in many situations involving animals. They train dolphins and other marine animals, do conservation work, train animals for television and films and work at zoos, theme parks and other jobs.

The graduates and their homes and workplace, if known, are: Katie Backer (Colo.), Laura Birdsall of Sacramento (Folsom Zoo), Leah Bloebaum (Neb.), Steph Burns (Va.), Maria Campbell (Argentina), Anthony Capovilla of Santa Barbara (Have Trunk Will Travel), Linda Castanada of Los Angeles (Cincinnati Zoo, Cat Ambassador), Mike Chrisite (Thousand Oaks), Chandra Cohn (Los Angeles), Larissa Comb (N.Y.), Dennis Davis (Moorpark), Shannon Day (Mich.), Amy Desuza (Oceanside), Beth Dileone (N.Y.), Kelly Elkins of Orange County (Pacific Animal Productions).

Liz Evans of Wash. (D.C. National Aquarium, Baltimore), Terri Fidone of Las Vegas (Steve Martin Working Wildlife), Bianca Gadd (Atlanta), Jacqueline Gaillard (Los Angeles), Traice Gephart (Santa Barbara), Stephanie Harpt of Wis. (Intern, Crane Foundation University of Wisconsin-Madison), Julia Hursh (Minn.), Adam Hyde (Livermore, Calif.), Tracy Kuch of Chicago (Disney’s Animal Kingdom Internship), Kristen Lehr of Sacramento (Natural Encounters).

Sonal Malliah of Canada (Pacific Animal Productions), Kristy Marson (working on master’s degree in Mo.), Renesse Maynard of Vancouver, Wash. (A Sea World, San Diego State), Kim McIntire of Wash. (San Diego State), Kimberly Mirto (Los Angeles), Crystal Oswald (San Diego), Susan Patch of San Diego (San Diego Wild Animal Park). Heidi Ramos (Los Angeles), Sunni Robertson of Portland, Ore. (San Diego Zoo), Christie Saunders (Va.), Lorie Schwar (San Diego), Jennifer Simon Bakersfield, Stacy Simpson of Northridge (Sea World), Shannon Sothard (Lake Forest), Sarah Taylor (Los Angeles), Cortney Vargas of Camarillo (Wildlife Experience Outreach), Donna Vennberg (R.I.), Kathy Watkins (Simi Valley), Tracie Wheeler (Calif.).