I’m certain they can’t and I’m certain they’ll have to. I think all of the, all of those who have the privilege of being responsible for an animal population are going to have to find ways to work together, taking advantage of their particular skills. There is no way for us to say that only a government can be responsible for this particular species. And our experience is that it doesn’t work, wherever possible the communities around the species environment must be involved and must help. But there is perhaps a new relationship that I would like very much to see occur. If you have a zoo in a town, how can we make that zoo see itself as a responsible conservation organization whose responsibilities extend throughout the ranges of the animals it is exhibiting. If you’re going to exhibit giraffes, or polar bears, your visitation, the half million or two million people who come to your institution every year should understand that they’re coming to an institution that takes an interest and assumes some of the responsibility for sustaining that giraffe or that polar bear in their homelands and that would be a breakthrough that would place zoos where they ought to be as conservation organizations. Of course, if they specialize, this becomes easier.
