Captive Bears Expert Team Deputy Chair

Travis is the Animal Curator at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, where his career has been defined by an enduring commitment to bear conservation, captive population sustainability, and the wellbeing of bears in human care. He holds a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology and Management from the University of Wyoming and an M.A. in Zoology from Miami University. These academic foundations strengthened his focus on evidence‑based animal management and conservation science. He began his professional journey at a captive facility positioned at the crossroads of bear–human conflict, an experience that shaped his dedication in understanding and improving the lives of bears in human care while applying knowledge gained from managed populations to support wild bear conservation. Over the course of his career, he has developed interests in the relationship between nutrition and incidences of cancer, as well as the international exchange of genetics to strengthen zoo bear populations. His leadership roles include serving as the Sloth Bear Studbook Keeper and as the Immediate Past Chair of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Bear Taxon Advisory Group, where he helped guide species management for all eight bear species.

While bears remain the core of his professional identity, Travis’s conservation work extends beyond them. He has contributed to the repatriation of Andean condors to Venezuela, supported conservation initiatives for Panamanian golden frogs, and participated in regional efforts to protect Blanding’s turtles and Eastern plains garter snakes. Across all these endeavors, he maintains a consistent belief that knowledge gained in zoos can meaningfully advance the conservation of species in the wild.