President & CEO Dr. Mike Adkesson’s monthly video series pulls back the curtain on Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s care and conservation, inspired by his days as a veterinarian doing rounds at the Animal Hospital. Step behind the scenes as he interviews animal care leaders, veterinarians, and more experts at Brookfield Zoo Chicago to learn about how we’re transforming animal care for the next century and beyond.
Caring for animals means caring for them at every stage of life. Dr. Mike Adkesson joins Dr. Sathya Chinnadurai, Senior Vice President of Animal Health, Welfare & Science, to check in on a 19-year-old Amur tiger named Whirl. Get an inside look at how veterinary teams use specialized care, ongoing assessment, and collaboration to support quality of life—and how they navigate some of the most difficult decisions in animal care with compassion and clarity.
You don't have to travel far to find incredible wildlife! Dr. Mike Adkesson is joined by Adam Bianchi, General Superintendent of the Forest Preserves of Cook County, to explore the native wildlife and wild spaces within Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s 235 acres of forest preserve land. Discover how these wild spaces are connected to more than 70,000 acres of forest preserves across Cook County—and our shared commitment to protecting them.
Did you know that giraffes get pedicures? Dr. Mike Adkesson joins Nancy Kauffman, Director of Hoofed Mammal Care & Conservation, for an up-close look at giraffe hoof care and the positive reinforcement training that helps keep these watchtowers of the Serengeti healthy from the ground up.
Talk about strength in numbers! Dr. Mike Adkesson joins Mike Masellis, lead animal care specialist, behind the scenes to highlight how more than 12,000 Puerto Rican crested toad tadpoles will support the recovery of Puerto Rico’s only native toad.
Dr. Mike Adkesson joins Mark Gonka, Director of Marine Mammal Care & Conservation, at Dolphin Bay to share how our care and research with bottlenose dolphins in Chicago connects to our work at the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program in Florida.
Dr. Mike Adkesson joins Dr. Rita Stacey Vondra, Senior Vice President of Programs & Impact, atop Great Bear Wilderness for an aerial view of polar bears at Brookfield Zoo Chicago — and a look at how they contribute to scientific understanding of polar bear behavior and reproduction.
Meet the Zoo’s newest arrivals! Dr. Mike Adkesson joins our animal care and veterinary teams for the first health check-ups of 10 newly born African painted dog pups—a behind-the-scenes look at a critical moment in their earliest days.
Dr. Mike Adkesson joins Raquel Ardisana-Penney, Associate Director of Carnivore Care and Conservation, to learn about the Amur leopard cubs and the various forms of enrichment helping them reach key development milestones.
Dr. Mike Adkesson goes behind-the-scenes to explore how we care for endangered pangolins at Brookfield Zoo Chicago and then joins Dr. Copper Aitken-Palmer for a health check-up with a pangolin in the Animal Hospital!
Dr. Mike Adkesson joins Director of Primate Care and Conservation Kim Skelton for a training session with Barney, one of the Western lowland gorillas residing at James & Elizabeth Bramsen Tropical Forests!
Explore the Zoo's YouTube page to find more videos, interviews, and behind-the-scenes content!
