A Son of the Soil Passionate about Wildlife Conservation

The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), as part of its 2020 Presentation of Graduates, will confer the title of Honorary Doctor of Sciences upon Mr. John Seyjagat for his contributions in the field of Wildlife Management and Conservation.

With over 40 years of experience in exotic animal management, Mr. Seyjagat is the current Executive Director of the Zoological Association of America (ZAA), prior to which, he was the Curator of Australian Exhibits at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland. He also served as Director of the Lubee Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to saving fruit bats and their habitats and has worked as Head Zookeeper at the Emperor Valley Zoo.

Having conducted field conservation work in the Philippines, Malaysia, Borneo, Papua New Guinea, South America, the Caribbean and Australia, Mr. Syejagat has contributed to numerous research projects on bats and reptiles and has been involved in several exhibit design projects, including Disney’s Animal Kingdom. He also served as Animal Welfare Officer of the Sustainable Seafood Watch Programme fostered by First Lady Michelle Obama in 2012.

With a firm belief in giving back to his country, Mr. Seyjagat expedites and promotes training and career opportunities in the zoo, wildlife, and conservation fields in the USA for fellow Trinbagonians, fostering professional development and technology advancement as it relates to the Exotic Animal field and the conservation of wildlife. In 2019, he was awarded the Hummingbird Medal (Gold) for his contribution to Education and Conservation.

The University remains committed to the development and advancement of Trinidad and Tobago and wishes to congratulate Mr. Seyjagat on his achievements.