In June the ZAHP Fusion Center traveled to Austin, TX to conduct the Zoo Ready meeting for Veterinary Services District 4, focusing on enhancing foreign animal disease response communication channels, with an additional one-day workshop on Contingency Planning for the Exotic Animal Industry. Beyond being a learning experience, these well attended meetings gave participants from over 30 exotic wildlife facilities the valuable opportunity to connect with their state regulatory officials, federal agency and program representatives, and leadership from various wildlife associations. This 3-day meeting was highly successful, with a more diverse audience of exhibitors than ever before and participant feedback consistently citing the value of having regulatory and industry partners in the same room to discuss the potential impacts of disease and disaster.
Thank you to the Texas Disposal System’s Exotic Wildlife Ranch for generously hosting this meeting!