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Marisa Shender

Department

Animal Care Management

Focus

Research Ethics

Title

Zoo Programs Manager

Education

B.S. – Zoology, Michigan State University

Areas of Expertise

Zoo research
Ethical oversight of visitor studies
AZA accreditation practices

About

Marisa graduated from Michigan State University in 2008 with a degree in zoology. Her passion for animal behavior led her to Lincoln Park Zoo, where she began as an intern studying ape behavior and space use as part of the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes. During this time, she contributed to the field by assisting with digitizing field notes from Gombe National Park in Tanzania and organizing ethograms form various species to develop an online database.

This internship evolved into a full-time role as a research coordinator, where Marisa played a pivotal role in advancing the center’s work on ape conservation and research. Today, as the Zoo Programs Manager, she oversees the research committees and chairs the zoo’s Institutional Review Board, ensuring ethical standards are upheld across research projects.

In addition to her committee responsibilities, Marisa manages the zoo’s Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation process, conducting regular walkthroughs of the facilities to ensure the zoo meets the rigorous standards required for accreditation. She is also pursuing a master’s degree in bioethics at Ohio State University to further her expertise in ethical considerations within animal care and conservation.

Marisa’s dedication to both research and ethical practice continues to drive the zoo’s mission to inspire, educate, and preserve wildlife.

Publications

- - - Ross, S. R., & Shender, M. A. (2021). The use of small-scale spatial analysis to evaluate primate behavior and welfare in captive settings. In F. L. Dolins, C. A. Shaffer, L. M. Porter, J. R. Hickey, & N. P. Nibbelink et al (Eds.), Spatial Analysis in Field Primatology (267–279). Cambridge University Press.
    - Bonnie, K. E., Bernstein-Kurtycz, L. M., Shender, M. A., Ross, S. R., & Hopper, L. M. (2019). Foraging in a social setting: a comparative analysis of captive gorillas and chimpanzees. Primates. 60(2), 125–131. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-018-00712-x
    - Wark, J. D., Cronin, K. A., Niemann, T., Shender, M. A., Horrigan, A., Kao, A., & Ross, M. R. (2019). Monitoring the behavior and habitat use of animals to enhance welfare using the ZooMonitor app. Animal Behavior and Cognition, 6(3), 158–167. https://doi.org/10.26451/abc.06.03.01.2019
    - Ang, M. Y. L., Shender, M. A., & Ross, S. R. (2017). Assessment of behavior and space use before and after forelimb amputation in a zoo-housed chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). Zoo Biology, 36(1), 5–10. https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21345
    - Jacobson, S. L., Hopper, L. M., Shender, M. A., Ross, S. R., Leahy, M., & McNernie, J. (2017). Zoo visitors’ perceptions of chimpanzee welfare are not affected by the provision of artificial environmental enrichment devices in a naturalistic exhibit. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research, 5(1), 56–61. https://doi.org/10.19227/jzar.v5i1.250
    - Hopper, L. M., Shender, M. A., & Ross, S. R. (2016). Behavioral research as physical enrichment for captive chimpanzees. Zoo Biology, 35(4), 293–297. https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21297
    - Ross, S. R., & Shender, M. A. (2016). Daily travel distances of zoo-housed chimpanzees and gorillas: Implications for welfare assessments and space requirements. Primates, 57(3), 395–401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-016-0530-6
    - Price, A., Boeving, E. R., Shender, M. A., & Ross, S. R. (2015). Understanding the effectiveness of demonstration programs. Journal of Museum Education, 40(1), 46–54. https://doi.org/10.1179/1059865014Z.00000000078
    - Kurtycz, L. M., Shender, M. A., & Ross, S. R. (2014). The birth of an infant decreases group spacing in a zoo-housed lowland gorilla group (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Zoo Biology, 33(5), 471–474. https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21156
    - Lonsdorf, E. V., Anderson, K. E., Stanton, M. A., Shender, M. A., Heintz, M. R., Goodall, J., & Murray, C. M. (2014). Boys will be boys: Sex differences in wild infant chimpanzee social interactions. Animal Behaviour, 88, 79–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.11.015
    - Shender, M. A., & Ross, S. R. (2013). The effect of available space on a group of captive gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) living in a naturalistic zoo setting. American Journal of Primatology, 75(S1), 51.
    - Shender, M. A., Anderson, K. E., Lonsdorf, E. V., & Ross, S. R. (2012). Group cohesion in captive gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) living in a naturalistic zoo exhibit. Program of the Thirty-fifth Meeting of The American Society of Primatologists June 20–23, 2012. Am. J. Primatol., 74, 1–82.
    - Shender, M. A., Heintz, M. R., Murray, C. M., & Lonsdorf, E. (2011). Friend today, food tomorrow: The dynamic relationship between the chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) and baboons (Papio cynocephalus anubis) of Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Program of the Thirty-Fourth Meeting of The American Society of Primatologists. Am. J. Primatol., 73, 1-120.
    - Arnoczky, S.P., Lavagnino, M., Egerbacher, M., Caballero, O., Gardner, K., & Shender, M.A. (2008). Loss of homeostatic strain alters mechanostat “set point” of tendon cells in vitro. Clinical Orthopedic Related Research, 466(7), 1583–1591. https://www.doi.org/10.1007/s11999-008-0264-x

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