A very warm welcome to you all from Parco Natura Viva! I’m really proud to be the host of the second EAZA Animal Welfare Forum.
Many of you may have already visited our country and may have joined us for past conferences we held. This new opportunity is challenging and exciting for my staff and myself, longing, to meet you all.
You’ll discover an amazing region by Garda Lake, only few kilometers from Verona, here stands Parco Natura Viva Zoological garden, more than half century of history, guided by passion : It was the vision of my father in the late ‘60’s to create a park from the perspective of animals, where people are merely guests. Our animals are free roaming or housed on islands, in the Safari area. Also in the fauna Park some of them are housed in islands and others in naturalist exhibits with natural boundaries where possible. As humans we are guests in animal world, and this has led to a unique park with over 40 hectares of naturalistic settings with more than 200 species and 1500 animals.
I’m still looking forward, getting busy in more in situ projects with a brand new foundation we run, but also improving our visitors experience, hoping to rise even more involvement by spreading the aim of our EAZA community.
I warmly invite you all to subscribe to the coming conference, promising that it will be an amazing one, with an assessment of the topics from EAZA, always worthy and useful for all of us and a welcome in the smoothest and sweetest Italian style, with our well know specialties of course, but also our gorgeous countryside. We’ll have an amazing tour of our place, we are so proud of, ending the visit with one of our specialties: risotto and wine.
Then, for a sparkling end, a farewell dinner that will surprise and rock you !
Cesare Avesani Zaborra
T. V. Joe Layng is a Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and was the 2020 recipient of the APA: Division 25 Fred S. Keller Behavioral Education Award. He is an adjunct professor at the Institute for Applied Behavioral Science, Endicott College. Joe has over 50 years of experience in the experimental and applied analysis of behavior with a particular focus on the design of teaching/learning environments. He was a Dean at Malcolm X College in Chicago where he founded the award winning Personalized Curriculum Institute. In 1999, he co-founded Headsprout where Joe led the scientific team that developed the technology that formed the basis of the company’s patented Early Reading and Reading Comprehension online reading programs used by millions of children. Joe has spent the last several years bringing important concepts from the experimental and applied analysis of behaviour to those working with animals.
Monday 18 March: Pre-Forum day: Academy course and Icebreaker
Tuesday 19 March: Forum day 1
Wednesday 20 March: Forum day 2
Thursday 21 March: Forum day 3
Friday 22 March: Optional excursion (destination to be confirmed)
More programme information will follow later
Trailblazing Trainers pre-conference workshop
The Animal Training Working Group and the EAZA Academy will once again be offering a workshop before the conference on 18 March at Parco Natura Viva. This introductory workshop is a great opportunity for participants to get a taste of the techniques and applications of force free animal training. The day will include some lecture sessions and also practical demonstrations and hands-on sessions.
Registration for this event will open soon
Parc Hotel Paradiso & Golf Resort
The congress centre of Parc Hotel Paradiso & Golf Resort in Peschiera del Garda has 10 conference rooms of different seating capacity. All of them are fully equipped with cutting-edge technology.
The resort also offers four different hotel facilities (two 4-star hotels, two aparthotels) that have more than enough beds (see accommodation information below); hundreds of parking spaces outdoor and indoor; bars and restaurants; a wide range of post-congress activities, as it includes a wellness centre and a sports centre.
The congress centre is located in a strategic position, at a short distance from the A4 Milan-Venice motorway, from Peschiera del Garda’s train station, and from Verona airport.
Venue address: Via Brolo2/a – 37014 Castelnuovo del Garda
By train: Verona Porta Nuova Station - 20 km (taxi on site) Peschiera Del Garda Station 1 Km
By flight: Verona Airport 20 km (taxi on site) Milano Airport BGY 89 km Venezia Airport 145km
Would you like to attend the AWF24 but would need financial support to make it happen? EAZA is offering five bursaries to support team members from EAZA institutions or organisations, including both Members and Candidates for Membership! Please read the information and then complete the application form! The deadline for applications is 14 November.
The aim of these bursaries is to provide zoo and aquarium professionals, whose attendance at the forum is limited due to finances, the opportunity for continuing professional development, which they will use to support application of the EAZA Standards linked to animal training and welfare within the EAZA community.
The EAZA Welfare Working Group and EAZA Training Working Group are welcoming abstracts for the EAZA Animal Welfare Forum 2024, hosted by Parco Natura Viva, Italy, with the theme 'Knowing me, Knowing you: Understanding individual animal welfare'. Abstracts can be for presentations, posters or workshops, and should demonstrate how they support the forum theme and have a broad application to improving animal welfare in zoos and aquariums.
For more information and to submit your abstract, please follow the link to the Abstract Submission Form.
Deadline for submissions: 16 October 2023
From 19-22 March 2024 Parco Natura Viva (Verona, Italy) will host the second EAZA Animal Welfare Forum.
Early-bird registration will open in October 2023
For bookings and reservations please send an email to booking-resort@parchotels.it and refer to the promo code 'AWF2024' if you want to make to use of the special delegate rates below.
Hotel | Description | Rates |
Residence Eden ** |
Apartments 200/300 meters |
Double room (1 pax) €65 p.n. |
Parc Hotel **** | Modern and elegant Hotel with recently renovated rooms | Double room (1 pax) €72 p.n. Double room (2 pax) €99 p.n. |
Active Hotel Paradiso & Golf **** |
Country chic style property surrounded by |
Double room (1 pax) €72 p.n. Double room (2 pax) €99 p.n. |
Please note that prices are VAT included but city tax is not (Approx. €1,5 pax/day in 4 stars hotels and €1 pax/day in other accommodation types. This tax must be paid by the delegate directly at the hotel.