Wildlife Expert Jim Knox: Health Safety for Pets and People

When you bring home a new pet or your child brings home the classroom bunny for the weekend, there are smart things to do to keep everyone safe and healthy.

Hear about them in a lively 20-minute Zoom session on Saturday morning with Jim Knox, wildlife expert at the Beardsley Zoo. A Q&A follows. The session is hosted by Weston Kiwanis. You are cordially invited to join in.

Here are details:

Saturday, March 20
9:30 am
Zoom link: bit.ly/WestonKiwanis-2021-03-20

What you’ll get out of it

You will learn a bit about zoonotic diseases.

Wait. Don’t go.

It’s not really a technical talk.

A zoonotic disease is simply one caused by germs being passed between animals and people. The exchange can go either way.

Mr. Knox’s presentation is titled “What We Need to Know to Keep Ourselves and Our Animals Safe.”

“Caring people snuggle,” said Mr. Knox. But, in that affectionate interaction, it pays to be mindful of your pet’s health and your own, he said. “Good information produces good outcomes.”

Not just the exotic

Given the odds that most people in Fairfield County are pet owners, it helps to know that illnesses caused by the relationships of people, animals, and the environment are reasonably common. Mr. Knox says six out of ten infectious diseases develop this way. Some are everyday maladies.

So, Mr. Knox will discuss what these diseases are, how they emerge, how they spread, and how to keep everyone safe.

Jim Knox is the Curator of Education for the Beardsley Zoo. He also conducts field conservation for the institution. A graduate of Cornell University, Mr. Knox has studied great white sharks in South Africa, conducted field research on Alaskan brown bears, field conservation for Atlantic salmon, and written nationally for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Mr. Knox has shared his wildlife expertise on the Today Show and the CBS Early Show. He has also lectured at Harvard College, been featured in the New York Times, and is a TedX presenter. He writes a column, “Wildly Successful,” for the Greenwich Sentinel and serves as Science Adviser for the Bruce Museum.

“Weston Kiwanis is our town's premier community service organization dedicated to making a difference in the lives of children. Through community programs and philanthropy we support worthy causes in our area while offering lasting friendships and fun.” Find out more at westonkiwanis.org.