Zookeepers Lisa Smith, Laura Mayo, and Joseph Mendelson lead a presentation of *Behind-the-Scenes at Zoo Atlanta: Making a Difference at Home and Around the World*. Lisa Smith presents the rarely-seen world of the truly “behind-the-scenes,” offering compelling insights into the challenges, innovations and surprises of day-to-day animal care at Zoo Atlanta. Laura Mayo introduces a clear call to action for orangutans; great apes that may face extinction within the next decade without focused conservation efforts. Through an in-depth look at the fight to save critically endangered amphibians, beaded lizards and turtles, Mendelson presents alarming realities and triumphant messages of hope that define 21st century conservation.
![Joseph_Mendelson.jpg](https://cdn.grove.wgbh.org/dims4/default/a125ff5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/120x120+0+0/resize/70x70!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk1-prod-gbh.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fmedia%2Fspeaker_headshots%2FJoseph_Mendelson.jpg)