File Photo Logan Wood has been selected as the new Roosevelt Park Zoo director.

The Minot Park District has named Dr. Logan Wood as the new Roosevelt Park Zoo director. Wood has served as the Roosevelt Park Zoo veterinarian since 2019.

“We believe Dr. Wood brings a new perspective, an array of knowledge and a strong vision to honor the past, seize the present and strive for future endeavors,” said Elly DesLauriers, executive director of Minot Park District in a news release.

“I am excited to lead the team at the Roosevelt Park Zoo. The next few years will be challenging with the MI-7 Flood Protection Project and construction with the ‘New Zoo,’ but I see it as an opportunity,” Wood said in the release. “I have always enjoyed the challenges of envisioning new ways to bring people to the zoo. Building a new zoo and a new future, requires a stable foundation. This foundation, to me, will be built upon four key pillars: our animals, our staff, our community and conservation. At the end of the day, I want to do right by our animals, our staff and our community.”

Wood is a doctor of veterinary medicine and holds a degree in animal science. Wood was nominated as one of five finalists for a national veterinarian award, American Hero Veterinarian, by American Humane in 2022 and is a member of the Mountain Tapir Conservation Field Team.

Wood also holds a number of certifications, including but not limited to Peaceful Euthanasia Veterinarian, Occupational Safety and Health Administration Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response, Wildlife Rehabilitator by International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council since 2021, Stop the Bleed instructor since 2020 and a national member of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians. Wood is a published co-author of numerous research papers on Tapir medicine and is the lead author of a paper focusing on dental health in wild and captive giraffe.

“My overall vision is for the zoo to be a place where people want to come visit often and that my staff wants to come to work and enjoy working,” Wood said. “If we can create those two, we create a very welcoming environment, which then creates a unique experience every time people are here. I think this helps keep people coming back. Those unique experiences are done by our staff, by our animal collection, by our engagement through educational programs and the wide array of offerings that we have at RPZ. We are grateful for all the support the community has given us and we want to continue offering more and more of ourselves to the community.”