Animal Training Academy

Tim Van Loan Bio

Tim started working with animals as a Junior Docent at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum in middle school, and immediately knew he wanted to spend his career sharing close relationships with animals.

After graduating with a B.S. in Biology from the University of Puget Sound, he moved cross country to work at Walt Disney World as a marine mammal intern, and then later a behavioral husbandry assistant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Throughout his career he has been lucky enough to work around the country as a bird trainer, show leader, and behavioral husbandry manager through opportunities provided by Natural Encounters Inc. As of last year, he accepted a full time position with the New Mexico BioPark Society fulfilling the role he was already serving in as a consultant, as the Behavioral Husbandry Manager of the ABQ BioPark. The BioPark consists of a zoo, bugarium, botanic garden, heritage farm, aquarium, and natural forested lands along the banks of the Rio Grande, so it has truly made dreams of improving the lives of all types of animals come true.

He is a certified professional animal trainer and bird trainer (KA-CPAT & KA-CPBT) through IATCB, and a member of the board of directors for the Animal Behavior Management Alliance. He is also a graduate of Dr. Susan Friedmann’s Behavior Works Learning and Living with Animals and How Research Works courses.