Ron Kagan is CEO of the Detroit Zoological Society and an advocate and activist for compassionate conservation, animal welfare, and humane education. He has worked at and consulted for numerous zoos and aquaria, and he lectures at universities and conferences around the world. Ron Kagan has authored many papers in scientific journals, encyclopedic entries and book chapters.
Ron Kagan created ten internationally award-winning wildlife conservation and welfare documentaries and established both the Berman Academy for Humane Education and the Center for Zoo Animal Welfare. He has led the development of unique and award-winning facilities including a Gorilla Conservation Research Center, the “Wildlife Interpretive Gallery” (a museum exploring the relationship between humans and animals over time and in different cultures), the National Amphibian Conservation Center, the “Arctic Ring of Life” (largest Polar Bear facility in the world), the Ford Education Center, the Wild Adventure Simulator (a motion-based cabin simulator that builds empathy for other species as people experience life through animals’ eyes) and the Polk Penguin Conservation Center (largest penguin facility in the world).
Contributions to Humans & Nature:
- The Show Is Over
A response to “How can zoos and aquariums foster cultures of care and conservation?”
Noteworthy Links:
- Animal Welfare and the Future of Zoos
Ron Kagan speaks at TEDxOaklandUniversity.
