Wild Animals/Expert Profile

Expertise

I ONLY ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT PENGUINS. As a recognized penguin expert, I can authoritatively answer any questions about penguins - from biology, behavior, conservation, habitat or the impacts of global warming, to working in an aquarium setting and husbandry management etc. AGAIN, I ANSWER PENGUIN QUESTIONS ONLY - IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT OTHER ANIMALS, PLEASE ASK A DIFFERENT EXPERT. Thank you!

Experience in the area

I worked as a Senior Penguin Aquarist at the New England Aquarium in Boston for more than seven years, co-managing our colony of seventy penguins - I also interned there for another two years prior to that. I have extensive experience hand-rearing penguin chicks, managing colony health, understanding penguin behavior and educating the public about penguins. (To date, I've taught approximately 250,000 people about penguins.) I've been the guest penguin expert on several television and radio shows, the content reviewer for three books about penguins, and have presented at national and international conferences. In the summer of 2000, I worked as a rehabilitation manager during the rescue of 40,000 African penguins from an oil spill. I have just written a book about this event, THE GREAT PENGUIN RESCUE, which Simon & Schuster published in October of 2010. In 2006, I founded an educational company called THE PENGUIN LADY devoted to raising awareness and funding to help protect threatened and endangered penguin species. I provide on-site programs about penguins for kids and adults, and donate a portion of the proceeds from every program to penguin rescue groups.

Organizations

National Marine Educators Association (NMEA), Massachusetts Marine Educators Association (MMEA), Association of Zoos & Aquariums, International Zoo Educators Association, Author's Guild, International Women's Writing Guild, Homebased Businesswomen's Network (HBN), North Shore Women in Business (NSWIB), North Shore Business Forum, Mount Ida Veterinary Technology Accreditation Committee, Mensa International

Publications

On October 26, 2010, Simon & Schuster's Free Press imprint published THE GREAT PENGUIN RESCUE, a book that I wrote about the remarkable rescue of 40,000 penguins from the Treasure oil spill in South Africa. I worked as a rehabilitation supervisor during this historic event. More than 12,500 volunteers labored for three grueling months, after which 95% of the penguins were successfully released back into the wild. THE GREAT PENGUIN RESCUE is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders and other stores and online retailers. I authored the Penguin chapter for the New Book of Knowledge Encyclopedia (NBK) in 2008, which is also available online at www.go.grolier.com (Most libraries have free access to this database.) A paper that I wrote about the New England Aquarium's penguin outreach program was published in the AZA conference proceedings journal in 1998.

Education/Credentials

BS in Animal Science from Mount Ida College in 1996, AZA Conservation Education School - NC State University 1999, PADI Scuba certified in 1995

Awards and Honors

Distinguished Alumni Award from Mount Ida College in 2002 for outstanding contributions in the sciences - award given in recognition of work done as a rehabilitation manager during the rescue of 20,000 penguins from an oil spill in South Africa. Graduated Summa Cum Laude from Mount Ida College in 1996 - awarded for Exceptional Achievement in the Sciences at graduation ceremonies

Past/Present Clients

Numerous book stores, schools, colleges, libraries, museums, cruise ships, assisted living facilities, rotary clubs and more. I've been the onboard penguin expert/guest lecturer on nature cruises to the Galapagos Islands and Antarctica. I've also been the guest on many TV and radio programs, including CNN, BBC, CBC Radio-Canada, ABC Radio Australia and Sierra Club Radio. If you wish to obtain specific names or locations, please contact me via e-mail or through my website at www.thepenguinlady.com

What do you still hope to achieve/learn in this field?

My mission is to raise awareness and funding to protect penguins. To that end, I'm donating 20% of the proceeds from my book and from every public appearance to penguin rescue groups. Penguins have suffered greatly due to human disturbances, and global warming is taking its toll on all 18 species. If current environmental trends continue, several species could become extinct within the decade.

Something interesting about this subject that others may not know:

Penguins are considered an indicator species. When you see the population of an indicator species declining (as is the case with most penguin species), it's a signal that something is wrong with the ecosystem that species lives in. Penguins are the proverbial 'canary in the coal mine', warning us that we need to take better care of the environment if they are to survive.

Something controversial or provocative about this subject

In the spring of 2010, two major changes took place in the world of penguin conservation. The African penguin's status was changed to Endangered - their population has halved in the last 10 years to just 80,000 birds. And two of the three sub-species of Rockhopper penguins have been found to be two separate species, so there are now 18 penguin species (and the Northern Rockhopper is Endangered).