“We are all the luckiest people in the world to have shared maybe even just a glimpse of our lives with these amazing animals. Forever grateful.”
Heather’s Story
Heather first heard about the Cat Tales Zoological Training Center when she was a teenager from an animal park in her home state of Arizona. From that moment, she knew she was going to apply to the training school after she finished her four year Bachelor’s degree.
Graduating from Cat Tales in 2006, Heather went on to be a free contact tiger trainer for Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. There, she was a part of a team that won 4 consecutive awards for Best Live Edutainment Show in the World. She spent her 17 year career expanding her experience in handling and free-contact training from tigers to all North American carnivores and some more exotic species including, but not limited to the elusive and incredibly endangered amur and snow leopards. She then went on to manage the Grizzly Bear Research Center at Washington State University in Pullman, WA.
Heather has since officially retired from the animal field to focus on her other passion in life; baseball & softball. She now serves as the COO of the Louisville Slugger Hitting Science Center, which is the research/development and educational/instructional arm of Louisville Slugger and Wilson Sporting Goods. When she’s not focused on player development for baseball and softball players alike, she still advocates for animal welfare, and is a voice and supporter of our mission here at Cat Tales Wildlife Park.
Heather currently serves on the Cat Tales Board of Directors.
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