Chris Waldron

I am the Sustainable Programs Manager at the Philadelphia Zoo. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Penn State University and am enrolled in AZA’s Zoo and Aquarium Leadership Master’s Degree Program through George Mason University. I’ve worked at the Zoo for over 16 years, first as a zookeeper, then as Curator of Carnivores and Primates.

While curator, I helped oversee the opening of the Zoo’s Big Cat Falls, which won AZA’s Exhibit of the Year award in 2007. I served as Vice-Chair for AZA’s Bear TAG (Taxon Advisory Group) from 2007-2009. In 2008, I was promoted to my current position in the Conservation Department, where I am responsible for all the Zoo’s "greening" efforts. I attained my LEED (U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accreditation in July 2009 and am helping the Zoo achieve LEED certification on our new Children’s Zoo, as well as incorporating LEED principles into our newest phase of master-planning.

I teach two online courses (Wildlife Management and Conservation Education) for the Animal Behavior Institute and own a horse farm with my wife in New Jersey. I’ve worked with polar bears (two of the oldest in an AZA zoo!), dealt with their management on a TAG level, but have never seen them in their true environment, so I’m excited about that! Of course the plight of polar bears is a tragic situation, but I’m hopeful that I can use what I learn to bring attention to many other less well known species that may suffer a similar fate.