In this inspiring episode of the Animal Training Academy: Making Ripples podcast, host Shelly Wood sits down with Molly Feldman — Senior Bear Team Manager at the Chengdu Bear Rescue Center and board member of the Animal Behavior and Management Alliance (ABMA) — for a conversation about rehabilitating rescued bears, advanced cooperative care, and the power of listening to animal body language.
With nearly two decades of experience in animal husbandry, Molly shares her decade-long journey with Animals Asia, overseeing the mental well-being and management of 81 bears (mostly Asiatic black bears alongside two Tibetan brown bears). She reflects on the complex social lives of bears, how they form dynamic and seasonal relationships, and how her team successfully utilizes seasonal enrichment and comprehensive cooperative care—ranging from voluntary blood draws and ultrasounds to conscious suture removals.
Molly also opens up about her passion for improving dog welfare in her rural local community through fencing projects and dog-walking clubs, as well as her recent foray into cognitive research with bears via match-to-sample training challenges.
Together, Shelly and Molly explore:
✅ How transitioning to seasonal, behavior-based enrichment matches the natural life cycles and needs of Asiatic black bears
✅ The intricate social dynamics of bears in sanctuary groups, including seasonal friendships and fascinating case studies like Shanty and Picklenickle
✅ Building a comprehensive cooperative care program from the ground up, allowing bears to voluntarily participate in complex medical procedures
✅ The crucial importance of observing subtle body language cues—such as micro-exhalations and posture changes—to determine when a bear is stressed or frustrated
✅ Redesigning transport cage loading protocols by eliminating luring, honoring choice, and using distance as a negative reinforcer to build trust with fearful bears
✅ Community engagement efforts to improve the lives of chained and confined dogs in rural China
✅ The value of utilizing the Animal Training Academy community and forums to troubleshoot training plateaus and cognitive tasks
This episode is a celebration of empathy, science-based husbandry, and the dedication required to help traumatized animals thrive. Molly's story is a powerful reminder that true animal welfare begins when we honor choice, listen closely to subtle communications, and ensure our animals feel completely in control of their lives.
Links
www.linkedin.com/in/molly-feldman
mollyrfeldman@gmail.com
