Implementing the species survival plan was most difficult. A wonderful group of colleagues got behind it and help get it through. There are some elements of the plan which are just doggone difficult. If you’re going to move a rhino from zoo A to zoo B, because you don’t want the animal in zoo B to breed with its brother and you have to move it someplace else, you may have to take an animal that is extremely valuable to Zoo A. In fact, maybe, talking of rhinos may be very valuable in dollars. A rhino is a very expensive animal, not that you can buy them on the market. So for zoos to give up a prize species or specimen to fulfill a propagation requirement, set forth by the species survival plan is not an easy thing to do, and may even run into difficulty with uneducated city officials who may say why you took a Joe the gorilla in the hoochie Tucci zoo and moved it out and he was the favorite of all the citizens in my constituency, you can’t do that. And the good thing about the accreditation program and the SSP is, yes you can, but it may not be easy and could rupture relationships with decision-makers.
