Detroit Zoo executive director Ron Kagan will be on hand in room 204, Toldo Health Education Centre, today from 10 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. to give his lecture “The Future of Life in a Zoo.” The talk is part of professor Beth Daly’s class Animals for Sport and Entertainment, but everyone is welcome.

Kagan is an advocate for compassionate conservation, animal welfare and the environment, and has published widely on the subject of zoos. He has also created, co-written and co-produced 11 internationally award-winning documentaries, and established a number of conservation, research, and educational programs.

In 2004, under Kagan’s leadership, the Detroit Zoo became the first major animal facility to give up its elephants, Wanda and Winky, who were sent to an animal sanctuary. This initiative led to many other zoos following the trend in what has become a significant recognition of animal welfare needs in the development of the modern zoo.