Our Experts

Education

BS, Animal Science, University of Connecticut

About

Eric Fox started his animal care experience at a young age working with various domestic animals and livestock. He graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor’s in animal science and a minor in wildlife conservation. This ultimately led him to start a career in aquatic animal husbandry. In 2013, he joined Mystic Aquarium’s Marine Mammal and Bird Department. Since joining the New England Aquarium in 2019, Eric has focused on implementing best practices that ensure optimal well-being of the penguins that call the Aquarium home. He has led the penguin team toward advancements in behavioral husbandry, such as cooperative training, environmental enrichment, and promoting species-specific behaviors through a sustainable breeding program.

Eric is not only passionate about caring for the Aquarium’s African and southern rockhopper penguins, but he also has a strong connection to the conservation of their wild counterparts. Before joining New England Aquarium, Eric traveled to South Africa on two separate occasions to help rehabilitate and release abandoned African penguin chicks with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB). He most loves connecting with Aquarium visitors by sharing his experiences caring for endangered and vulnerable penguin species, all in the hope of inspiring people to take large-scale action to address the decline of aquatic animals and ecosystems.

Affiliations

• Institutional Representative, Association for Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), Southern Rockhopper Penguin Species Survival Plan
• Institutional Representative, AZA, Penguin Taxon Advisory Group
• Steering Committee Member, AZA, African Penguin Species Survival Plan
• International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association (IMATA)