The Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Health partnered with USDA to conduct workshops and exercises in zoological parks across the state of Kansas. We traveled to eight zoos to conduct workshops and followed up with a tabletop exercise with all zoos (KAZOO) in April of 2012. We continue to conduct tabletop exercises in each zoo with the same participants that attended the workshops in 2012. Exercise participants include zoo workers, law enforcement officials, emergency management coordinators, county extension agents, public health representatives, state and federal animal health officials, and other interested agencies and organizations.
This project was well received and resulted in many benefits for the zoos, animal health officials and community partners. Plans have been revised and updated and new partnerships have been formed. You can read the after action report from the KAZOO exercise
HERE.