Haley Mozelewski
New Orleans,LA
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Sea Lion Trainer
Audubon Nature Institute
11.2023
- Maintained excellent welfare of 0.4 California Sea Lions through goal based enrichment, operant conditioning training techniques, and husbandry duties including ensuring proper nutrition, maintaining and inspecting exhibits and LSS to a high standard, and giving oral and topical medical treatments
- Assisted with AZA inspection preparation and tour
- Establish an ANI-wide celebration for World Sea Lion Day which included donations to AAR and collaboration with multiple different departments within ANI
- Expand the goal based enrichment program to include more variety
- Lead behind-the-scenes tours and encounters
- Mentor and train new staff and volunteers
- Re-established lost behaviors, such as length, rear flipper wiggle, and thermometer
- Revamp the keeper chat/presentations to include more variety for animals, staff, and guests
- Train new behaviors (see below) using operant conditioning techniques
- Wrote SOPs and Staff Animal Training Development Manual
LA Swamp/Nocturnal House Zookeeper
Audubon Nature Institute
05.2023
- Maintained excellent welfare of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians through goal based enrichment, operant conditioning training techniques, and husbandry duties including ensuring proper nutrition, maintaining and inspecting exhibits, giving oral and topical medical treatments
- Expanded enrichment program to include goal-based enrichment, enrichment calendars, ethograms, and more variety of enrichment
- Re-established lost behaviors, such as scale, target, and voluntary crating
- Trained novel behaviors using operant conditioning techniques including harness, hold, lead, nail trims, lead, stand, spin, and voluntary injections
- Lead VIP and behind-the-scenes tours in the Nocturnal section
Aquarist II/Lead Alligator/Sea Turtle Trainer
Audubon Nature Institute
06.2021
- Maintained excellent welfare of freshwater and saltwater fishes, invertebrates, corals, amphibians, and reptiles through goal based enrichment, operant conditioning training techniques, and husbandry duties including testing water quality, performing lock safety checks, ensuring proper nutrition, maintaining and inspecting exhibits, enrichment, assisting medical procedures and treatments, and fish acclimation, and SCUBA for in tank animal care and maintenance
- Lead alligator trainer - trained new members, ensured proper nutrition, and assisted during capture, restraint, and transport to off-site holding
- Sea turtle trainer - free and protected contact training
- Assisted with veterinary procedures and treatments, such as shark, sea turtle, and stingray physical examination and emergency procedures
- Engaged and educated the public through public speaking at a touch pool experience
- Assisted with marine mammal stranding response
Senior Trainer
Audubon Nature Institute
06.2025 - Current
- Collaborate with multiple departments throughout ANI to develop guest engagement and animal experiences while maintaining excellent welfare
- Develop training and introduction plans for California sea lions and harbor seals
- Establish weekly trainer and hospital husbandry training sessions
- Lead behaviorally controlled and non-behaviorally controlled sea lion introductions
- Lead and facilitate California sea lion air and ground transport from CA to LA
- Lead IMATA application submission
- Assist with Asian elephant and code red animal habitat maintenance and observations
Aquarist/Otter Trainer
ABQ BioPark Aquarium/Riverrock Staffing
01.2020 - 05.2021
- Maintained excellent welfare of mammals, freshwater and saltwater fishes, invertebrates, reptiles, and birds through goal based enrichment, operant conditioning training techniques, and husbandry duties including maintaining and inspecting exhibits, perform lock safety checks, enrichment, assisting with medical procedures and treatments, fish acclimation, and SCUBA for in tank animal care and maintenance
- Trained free and protected contact using operant conditioning, develop and implement goal-based enrichment and training plans, prepare diets, give oral and topical medications, and maintain excellent welfare for NARO
- Wrote and reviewed NARO birthing and rearing protocols
- Assisted with veterinary procedures, such as NARO and Cownose stingray physical examinations, restraint, and emergency procedures
- Managed, propagated, acquisitioned, and cultured moon, pacific nettle, and blue lagoon jellyfish and live food
- Authored and implemented Jellyfish Gallery SOP
- Assisted with AZA inspection preparation
- Engaged and educated the public through daily public training sessions
Education
M.S. - Biology - Zoo Science and Applied Conservation
West Liberty University
Wheeling, WV04-2020
B.S. - Biological Sciences
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA05-2018
Skills
- Advanced knowledge of the biology, behavior, and natural history of a variety of taxa
- Advanced knowledge of proper animal conformation and body conditions, gestation periods, and nutrition
- Advanced knowledge of operant conditioning, behavioral enrichment, and husbandry methods
- Proven good safety record and experience with dangerous animals
- Familiar with various medications, such as apoquel, tacrolimus, protopic, meloxicam, and vaccinations
- Experience troubleshooting and maintenance of closed filtration life support systems
- Intermediate carpentry, plumbing, and horticulture skills
- Excellent communication, critical thinking, observational, and public speaking skills
- Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Animal Care Software, and ZIMS
Affiliations
- AAZK, Vice President December 2025
- IMATA, Professional Member October 2025
- AAZK, Professional Member April 2025
- International Sloth Conference in New Orleans, LA October 2023
- AZA Conference in New Orleans, LA September, 2018
Certification
- FEMA IS 011 Course January 2026
- FEMA IS 010 Course December 2025
- FEMA ICS 700 & 800 Courses January 2025
- PADI First Aid/AED/O2/CPR Certified March 2025
- FEMA ICS 100 & 200 Courses December 2024
- AALSO Water Quality Technician Level 1 April 2023
- PADI Advanced Open Water Diver April 2021
Timeline
Senior Trainer
Audubon Nature Institute
06.2025 - Current
Sea Lion Trainer
Audubon Nature Institute
11.2023
LA Swamp/Nocturnal House Zookeeper
Audubon Nature Institute
05.2023
Aquarist II/Lead Alligator/Sea Turtle Trainer
Audubon Nature Institute
06.2021
Aquarist/Otter Trainer
ABQ BioPark Aquarium/Riverrock Staffing
01.2020 - 05.2021
B.S. - Biological Sciences
Duquesne University
M.S. - Biology - Zoo Science and Applied Conservation
West Liberty University
Behaviors Trained
A-Bs, A-Bs from surface to front windows underwater, around the world, blow bubbles, chatter, crate, desense - hill, deck, free contact eye exam, dorsal, fetch, front of house session/walk, ground hug, harness, hold, hug, hydrocycle, innovate, layouts (water work), lead, length, nasal swab, nail trim, open, overcome fear of water (NARO – using operant conditioning techniques), ramp, recall, rear flipper wiggle, rear flipper blood draw, target, target differentiation, thermometer, tickle, transition from protected to free contact, toothbrush, trainer stand, touch, sharkndao, soccer, stand, shape board, spin, squeeze cage, ventral, voluntary injection, water work, water slap recall, window