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Steve Martin is the animal trainer and Natural Encounters president and CEO—not the comedian. His inclusion in blooloop’s 50 Zoo and Aquarium Influencers of 2025, reported by the World Parrot Trust on October 17, 2025, recognizes him on that year’s list; it is not a permanent ranking.
Who is Steve Martin the animal trainer?
Martin leads Natural Encounters, Inc., an organization that provides animal training and behavior consulting, educational animal presentations, and training for zoo and aquarium staff. Natural Encounters describes positive reinforcement and animals voluntarily participating in their own care as central to his approach. Those descriptions reflect the organization’s account of its work.
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His career in public animal presentations began in 1976, when he established a free-flight bird show at what was then the San Diego Wild Animal Park, now the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Natural Encounters’ history says he left in 1980 to establish the predecessor company, which took the Natural Encounters name in 1991. The organization says zoo-wide behavior consulting became part of its work in 1988.
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Animal presentations and education
Natural Encounters produces educational animal presentations for the public. These programs connect animal behavior and care with visitor learning, while the organization’s consulting and staff-training work is directed at zoo and aquarium professionals.
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Behavior consulting and staff training
Natural Encounters says it consults on animal behavior and trains zoo and aquarium staff. The company biography frames its training approach around positive reinforcement and voluntary participation in care. It does not provide independent outcome measures for those claims, so they are best understood as the organization’s description of its methods.
What conservation work is associated with Martin?
Natural Encounters identifies Martin as president of the Natural Encounters Conservation Fund, which supports in situ conservation projects. The organization’s current, undated biography reports that the fund has raised and donated more than $1.9 million to over 70 projects worldwide. This is the organization’s reported total, not an independently audited figure.
Rank #2
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Natural Encounters also describes a partnership with the World Parrot Trust focused on conserving the Blue-throated Macaw, which it characterizes as critically endangered and native only to Bolivia. The company reports that the program has raised more than 80 birds and that trainers brought 14 birds to Bolivia in September 2024 to establish a breeding and release program. These are program details reported by Natural Encounters.
What does “top zoo influencer” mean here?
The recognition refers specifically to Martin’s inclusion in blooloop’s 2025 list of 50 Zoo and Aquarium Influencers. The World Parrot Trust reported the inclusion on October 17, 2025. It establishes that he appeared on that year’s list; it does not establish a permanent rank, a numbered position, or a broader award beyond the list itself.
Rank #3
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- Educational Toy: Provides information about wildlife; encourages imaginative play and compassion for animals.
- Age: Recommended for children 3 years and up.
The list’s framing, reproduced by the World Parrot Trust, describes zoos and aquariums as helping protect endangered species and habitats and inspiring visitors through research and education. The statement is presented as blooloop’s general framing, not as a quotation from Martin.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Professional affiliations
The International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators describes Martin as a founding member and emeritus board member. Natural Encounters’ biography also lists affiliations with the Animal Behavior Management Alliance, the American Association of Zookeepers, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and the World Parrot Trust. Because that biography may not establish each affiliation’s current status, treat its additional membership and trustee descriptions as organizationally reported rather than confirmed current roles.
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Rank #4
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