Latin America Region: Miguel Vieyra
Zoologico de San Juan de Aragon Zoo
mvieyra.sma@gmail.com
Miguel is currently coordinating the Education Department at San Juan de Aragon Zoo in Mexico City. He joined Aragon Zoo since 2002 after serving as intern, volunteer and guide instructor at Chapultepec Zoo for several years. He has been an IZE member since 2006, when he was first selected as sponsored delegate and also attended 2012 and 2014 conferences with the support of this program.
On 2011 he was honored with the Les Whitt Memorial Award from the ZCOG’s Conservation Training Scholarship Program to attend the course: Conservation education, effective program design.
At his zoo, he is in charge of four main programs: Staff training program, which obtained for the zoo the award as Education Committed Institution by the Education Ministry; formal education support program; informal education support program and program for the inclusion of people with disabilities. This latest is of particular interest for Miguel and his zoo, where they recently opened a sensorial trail to help people with visual impairments get closer to the natural world and access to a deeper knowledge of animals and plants.
Miguel looks forward to representing regional colleagues while strengthening connections with regional associations’ education professionals and committees, directors and our international partners.