Abstract
The sun has now set on the AFA 42nd Annual Educational Conference “Conserva- tion Works” held in Cromwell Connecticut from August 4th through 6th.
This year we kicked off the festivities with a trip to the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The zoo is the only AZA accredited zoo in the state and in addition to its many rare and endangered animals, it is home to an antique carousel and a historic greenhouse. The AFA group was treated to a behind the scenes visit with the penguins.
The conference was definitely a star-studded event. Our registration area was graced by no less than two Palm Cockatoos, a Moluccan and a Triton. The troop seemed to enjoy entertaining as well as being entertained by the attendees.
The featured bird for the conference was the golden conure. For those of you not familiar with the format, a different bird is chosen for each conference and an artist is selected to produce original artwork for the event. This year’s choice of bird led to some beautiful artwork by Carolyn Carr. Carolyn and her husband have lived in Belize since 1977 and she also gave a presentation entitled “Belize is for the Birds”. Certainly looked that way based on what we saw.
Carolyn’s artwork included an in-flight pose and a sitting version, which was featured on the cover of the conference program. A highlight of the banquet is the auctioning of the original artwork and this year was no exception. Congratulations to the high....