Heidi Hellmuth

Heidi Hellmuth has been involved in the animal care and training field for over 30 years, since graduating from the University of Cincinnati in 1987. She started out as a marine animal trainer, working for facilities including Mystic Aquarium, Sea World of Florida, and the Brookfield Zoo. She then spent several years as a zoo keeper with carnivores and large hoofstock at Zoo Atlanta. Heidi managed education animal collections and a wildlife education program, as well as gaining experience as a supervisor and zoo curator. She spent over six years as the Curator of Enrichment and Training for Smithsonian’s National Zoo and is currently the Curator of Primates at the Saint Louis Zoo.

During her career Heidi has worked with a wide array of species and diverse taxa. She has been actively involved in the fields of animal training, enrichment, and animal welfare and is a founding director and past president of the Animal Behavior Management Alliance. Heidi has authored numerous articles and presented at a wide variety of conferences, including instructing at several animal training, enrichment, and welfare-related workshops.