Chris’ work with animals began with a summer job at SeaWorld in his hometown of San Diego, California. With the encouragement of the trainers he met there, he attended the University of California, Davis, where he obtained a degree in Psychology to learn more about the ins and outs of animal behavior. After graduation, Chris volunteered as a keeper aide at the Sacramento Zoo until he decided to pursue a career with animals full time.
In May of 2002, Chris was accepted into the Exotic Animal Training and Management Program at Moorpark College outside Los Angeles. Upon graduation, he began working for The Animal Guys, a wildlife education company specializing in the use of wild and exotic animals as live visual aids for biology lessons, where he gave hundreds of presentations to students at inner city schools across the greater L.A. area.
Chris came to work for Natural Encounters Inc. in May of 2005. Chris is a member of the Board of Directors for the ABMA (Animal Behavior Management Alliance), a member of the Professional Development Committees for both AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) and IAATE (International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators), and certified as a professional animal trainer (CPAT-KA) by the International Animal Trainers Certification Board. Despite working outdoors with animals for a living, Chris is an indoor kid at heart, counting video games and reading among his favorite hobbies. Chris and his wife Bethany share their home with four cats and their wonderful dog, Sukie.
