AZA Ungulate TAGs
2026 Mid-Year Meeting

Held in conjunction with the AZA Mid-Year Meeting
22-25 March 2026
Hosted by Zoo Atlanta and Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta GA

Stay connected: join the Ungulate TAG Community!

The Ungulate TAGs share a joint community on the AZA Network. It is a great way to connect with other members of the ungulate community to share successes, ask questions, and provide feedback. Registration is free, even if you are not an AZA member.

First, sign in to your account with your AZA user name and password. You can also register as a new user.
https://ams.aza.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?webcode=newuserreg

Then find Ungulate TAG in the list of Communities, or follow this link:
https://network.aza.org/communities/community-home?CommunityKey=8c85a34f-9300-4eea-80f5-172a3a010c39

TAG Meeting Presentations

The full Ungulate TAG meeting agenda can be downloaded here.

*Please note that some presentations are not available online, or are only available in a modified version, due to the presence of unpublished data or sensitive information.

Ungulate TAG Chair Briefings

• Antelope, Cattle, Giraffid, and Camelid (ACGC) TAG

• Deer & Caprinae TAG

• Equid TAG

• Hippo, Peccary, Pig, and Tapir TAG

• Rhino TAG
  

TAG Initiatives & AZA Updates

• Welcome slides and housekeeping

• AZA Ungulates Dedicated Fund Update - RoxAnna Breitgan, The Living Desert

• Ungulate TAG Webinar Series, Allison Malkowski, Dakota Zoo

• Marketing Updates - Brent Huffman, Toronto Zoo

• Ungulate Resource Group (URG) - Julie Swenson, Fossil Rim Wildlife Center

• URG Update: Ultra-Potent vs. Non-Ultra-Potent Opioid Anesthesia Impacts on Semen in Rhinos - Priscilla Joyner, The Wilds

• URG Update: International Shipping Challenges - Den Beetem, The Wilds

• Zoo Bison Conservation Herds and Tribal/Park Partnerships - Julie Anton Randall, Wildlife Restoration Foundation

• Empowering Data-driven Management: The New Species360 Reproduction Dashboard - Rachel Thompson, Species360

• SAFE Giraffe Update - Diana Miller, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
  

Scientific Management Session

• Equid biobanking initiative - Elena Ruggeri, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

• PEMF Therapy & Monitoring Metrics for a Bull Giraffe - Rebecca McLachlan, B. Bryan Preserve

• Characterizing complex environments and social groups to assess the lifestyle of a lesser kudu herd through animal behavior - Samantha Overcashier, White Oak Conservation

• Anatomical Findings of the Lower Limb of Wild Giraffe - Diana Miller, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and Ray Wilhite

• Beyond body condition: Mapping the metabolic landscape of endangered equids - Morgan Disher, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI)
  

Ungulate Husbandry and Management Session

• Collaboration to Save a Species (Bongo transport update) - John Register, Houston Zoo

• Managing Male Dynamics within Multigenerational Herds Living in a Large Landscape Facility - Jared Moeller, Georgia Safari Conservation Safari Park

• Collaborative Surveillance and Control of Endoparasites in Artiodactyla Species - Dr. Deidre K Fontenot & Sam Berner, Disney’s Animal Kingdom

• Zebra IUD Husbandry Training - John Grant, Zoo New England/Franklin Park Zoo

• Evaluating Modified Feeders to Promote Natural Foraging in Giraffes - Grace Soechting, Tarleton State University *2026 Scholarship winner

• Scratches over Snacks: Using Tactile Reinforcement to Build Trust and Cooperative Care in Peccaries - Sarah Frye & Hannah Kraft, John Ball Zoo
  

Field Conservation Session

• Giraffe conservation updates and success from East Africa - Arthur B. Muneza, Giraffe Conservation Foundation

• Two little-known and threatened SE Asian ungulates: the large-antlered muntjac (Muntiacus vuquangensis) and silver-backed chevrotain (Tragulus versicolor) - Cara Martel for Andrew Tilker, Re:wild

• From Assurance Populations to Living Landscapes: Antelope Recovery, and Protected Area Management in the Sahel - Tim Woodfine, Sahara Conservation

• Extinct in the Wild Action Partnership: Opportunities for zoos to halt human-induced species extinction - Cara Martel, Re:wild, IUCN SSC Extinct in the Wild Action Partnership and Fiona Sach, Zoological Society of London, IUCN SSC Extinct in the Wild Action Partnership

• Saving Giraffe Together: Veterinary and Community Lessons from a 2025 Giraffe Reintroduction in Botswana - Liza Dadone, VMD & Thapelo Baiphethi, Save Giraffes Now

• Fatal Encounters: Emergency Response Failures and Conservation Implications for the Andean Tapir in Ecuador - Nicole Ormaza, Fundaciòn Zoológica del Ecuador - Quito Zoo *2026 Scholarship Winner
  

Ungulate Nutrition dedicated session

• Ungulate Nutrition 101 - Barbara Henry & Erin Kendrick

• Giraffe and Okapi ACM Nutrition Review - Shannon Livingston & Barbara Henry

• Development of an Online Milk Replacer Calculator for Ungulates - Jenna Wagner

• Hay and Pasture Management 101 - Mike Maslanka

• Herbivore Diet Manufacturing Challenges - Ryan Schroer

• Browse 101 - Erin Kendrick & Shannon Livingston

• Feed Analysis Interpretation - Kathleen Sullivan

• Body Condition Scoring - Mike Maslanka
  

Rhino TAG Proceedings

The Rhino TAG meeting agenda can be downloaded here.

General Updates

• Rhino TAG + SSP Updates

• IRF State of the Rhino

• International Rhino Keepers Association (IRKA)

• The Rhino Resilience Project
  

Rhino Research Council

• History of RRC - Dr. Terri Roth, Cincinnati Zoo/CREW

• RRC - Health - Dr. Elizabeth Hammond, Lion Country Safari

• RRC - Nutrition - Dr. Julie Swenson for Katie Sullivan, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
  

Topic Talks

• From browse to bloodstream - Dr. Molly Corder, SCBI

• Vitamin D status in managed black and white rhinoceros - Dr. Shauni Windle, Cincinnati Zoo/CREW

• Keratin 18 and liver histopathology in rhinoceros - Dr. Shauni Windle, Cincinnati Zoo/CREW