Although the person who really got it started was its first director, William T. Hornaday who started here in the 1890s and Hornaday, of course, was responsible for the first seal preservation. He led the effort to stop the plume trade and he led the effort to preserve the American bison, and the Buffalo. And he was the Bronx Zoo’s first director, before that he’d worked at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. And he was here until 1926. Then after Hornaday retired, his successor was not nearly as interested in wildlife conservation, but when Osborn became involved later as the trustee and as president of the society, the society’s interest in conservation began to come up again and Osborn initiated the practice of giving grants for conservation activity. This was a very modest program. There was no department and no full-time conservationist, but it was a very important part of the society’s gradual perception of a change in role, which I was able to change much further and even change the society’s name from New York Zoological Society to Wildlife Conservation Society. And that was accomplished in 1993 with great difficulty.
