Guest:
Linda Castañeda
Lead Trainer for the Cat Ambassador Program
        at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden  

About Linda:
Linda grew up in the concrete jungle of Los Angeles but was inspired by watching David Attenborough throughout her childhood. She was immersed in nature when she attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where she earned a bachelor’s in Biology. After starting her biology career in field research in Eastern Oregon and then in West Africa, she decided to meld her passions for conservation and animals by making her way into the zoo field. Linda attended the Exotic Animal Training and Management (EATM) program at Moorpark College in Moorpark, CA and found her way to the Cincinnati Zoo as an intern, then a seasonal summer hire. Linda had a brief stretch in Chicago at Lincoln Park Zoo before making her way back to Cincinnati Zoo. She spends her day working with a variety of African species, including cheetahs, servals, a porcupine, a red river hog and domestic dogs and cats.  While Linda is obsessed with cheetahs, she also works with global fishing cat conservationists through the Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance, where she serves on the board. 

What you will learn in this Episode:

What is the Cincinnati Zoo Cat Ambassador Program, how did it start and why is it important?

What types of training does Linda and her staff do with the cheetahs?

Why do they raise baby cheetahs with dogs? How can you help?  

For more information, please visit these links:
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2024/05/01/cheetahs-dogs-friends-cincinnati-zoo/73499121007/

https://cincinnatizoo.org/becoming-an-ambassador-kris-and-remus-update/

https://cincinnatizoo.org/celebrating-cathryn-hilker-on-her-90th-birthday/    

Learn more about your host Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC, at
www.SoMuchPETential.com