Well, kinda one of favorite animal stories. But you know, when I was the youngster in the zoo world, we did all kinds of stupid things. Absolutely stupid. I called the Wild, wild West Days of Zookeeping back in the seventies and early eighties. You know, when if you needed… Read More
Do you have any favorite animal stories? One or two?… Read More
But probably one of the stupidest things we did, it was back at like, I was probably 19 years old at the Powan MOU in South Bend, Indiana. We had just built a brand new large tiger habitat for what we then called Siberian Tigers, which are now called AM… Read More
Nothing of significance. You know, we had a red pan to get out 30 plus. He was 34 years ago or so. He just went right up the wall. We had no idea he could climb up a wall like that. Other escapes, we had prairie dogs get out once,… Read More
Very, very fortunate. Read More
Oh, lots of drills. Lots of drills. Drills, drills, drills, drills, drills, drills, drills. Lots of drills. You know, you, you got the emergency escape team, you know, just in case something happens, you always have the right person on staff just in case something happens present on the zoo… Read More
And keep making it happen. So that, How did you prepare for escapes?… Read More
Any escapes ever occur?… Read More
What animal species would you consider the most significant that you acquired in your career?… Read More
Giraffe. The gi, I mean, talk about a logistics and talk about complicated and talk about charismatic and talk about iconic, which we needed those things to help boost the zoo. Make the zoo more year round rich experience with giraffe. We really needed to have something iconic at the… Read More
I still love going in and feeding giraffe and meeting the giraffe one-on-one. ’cause they’re such remarkable kid. You know, when you’ve been doing zoo work for as long as I have, that’s just, I still am amazed. I don’t care what animal is, you know, feeding a penguin every… Read More
You know, it is kind of a, I’ve always loved elephants. Okay. I think they’re remarkable creature creatures. My nickname was Turtle John. I love Galapagos tortoises. I love the giant tortoises. They, they’re just so, I’m so impressive. They’ve been around for so long and they lived for so… Read More
You gotta be very, very judicious in your communications with politicians. But I was just in my senator’s office just a couple weeks ago talking and asking for this help and the support on this and being in the capital is very, very beneficial. It’s very, very beneficial because you… Read More
I know the capitol well, it worked really well, especially in my role as a tourism commissioner for the last 13 years. You get to know the senators, you know, I’ve been in governor’s, I’ve been in governor’s offices how many times talking to them about either foster care or,… Read More
Do you have a favorite zoo animal?… Read More
How Did that work with the politicians?… Read More
Oh, you know, how many times have I testified before the politicians in hearing rooms and things like that?… Read More
You’re talking to an old man who doesn’t do Facebook any social media, but I know the value of it. And that’s what my successor brought into it years ago, was the connectivity that way through social media and communicating through social media. And the zoo does a very great… Read More
You, you, you give them the authority to go with the responsibility. And they did that and they ran with it. And I, I think it’s, I think it’s a double-edged sword, to be honest with you. I never wanted to replace the actual experience of the zoo. I don’t… Read More
That’s, that’s really, really, and again, I’m an old person. Okay. And my wife is definitely a leadite. And, but I do texts, but that’s about all I do. You, you were Lincoln, the Children’s was in the state capitol. Yeah. Read More