Lori Torrini

I work full-time with animals. I am a certified animal trainer and behaviorist with degrees in zookeeping, animal health and behavior and am currently working towards a Master's of Science degree in applied animal behavior and welfare.  I earned a certificate in applied animal behavior from the University of Washington and have worked with numerous species over the years including horses, dogs, snakes cats, llamas, guinea pigs, rats, gerbils, mice, ferrets, chinchillas, pigs, goats, chickens and other birds, fish, lizards, frogs, burros, turtles, other livestock, companion animals, and small exotic pets. The majority of my work in the last 5 years has been with snakes and I co-authored a paper published in the journal "Animals" about teaching False Water Cobras voluntary shifting behavior. I am focused on teaching animals cooperative care and consent behaviors. I am a Fear Free Certified trainer through Fear Free Pets and am using Fear Free techniques with snakes, although there is not a specific Fear Free for Reptiles program yet. I've also published articles in the IAABC Journal about snake training, enrichment, and the potential neural consequences of how snakes are kept under captive management. I released an IAABC webinar on snake enrichment to augment the enrichment article. The webinar is available to the public through IAABC Courses.

 

I worked as a veterinary assistant and receptionist for 29 years both full-time and part-time and spent 6 years working in animal emergency management and animal emergency response. I have been a horse trainer and riding instructor for 30 years and in addition to my own business I serve in a volunteer capacity as the director of Spirit Keeper Animal Sanctuary which originally began as an equine sanctuary and expanded to other species. You can find more information about Spirit Keeper at www.SpiritKeeperAnimalSanctuary.org

 

My hobbies include martial arts, personal safety, self-defense, science fiction, and learning about science in general. I listen to a lot of science podcasts and listen to non-fiction and science fiction books on Audible. I enjoy communicating behavior science and learning theory to help people enhance the lives of the animals in their care.