But again, most of these animals are captive-raised. Many of ’em are even part of a captive breeding program and they are ambassadors and they are playing a role in education. So those are exceptions. It’s a matter of individual case on how that’s handled. And animal rides. Animal rights?… Read More
Oh, I’m sorry. Forget the other one. Read More
What are your opinion of these different kind of one?… Read More
I’ll give you three things: shows that are now proliferating, the type of temporary exhibits that come to zoos and animal rides: camel rides, elephant rides, pony rides within that genre of I’ll say as you mentioned entertainment which is certainly recreation. So let’s start with the animal shows that… Read More
Good, bad?… Read More
Well I think in general, animal acts don’t belong in the zoo. But I will make an exception with such as where the animals are not endangered, that there’s no threat to their natural environment as a result of the shows, that the shows have an absolute educational value and… Read More
“Get rid of the zoo director, bring the monkey show back.” But the commission threw that petition away and stuck with me and people began falling in love with the Jungle of the Apes watchin’ baby orangutans being born, watchin’ chimps being born, watchin’ baby gorillas being born. So today,… Read More
The stingray touch tank. Read More
You said you helped phase them out when you were deputy director or director?… Read More
As I was deputy director and director during that time. It happened a little bit at a time to phase them out. It became difficult getting chimps because they were now endangered. We wanted a new exhibit. I have to say the cat collection was phased out first. That was… Read More
That was 1975. It took us a little longer to phase out the chimp show, but we couldn’t get any more chimps. One year under Schultz, we had to bring in a private act. We had a guy named Lil’ brought in from California with four chimps for a couple… Read More
The concept of animals breeding in captivity and maintaining our population in captivity but also exhibiting ’em in more dignity in a natural environment. I had that opportunity to play a role of phasing the St. Louis Zoo out of show business. We also had more money from the Zoo… Read More
We took one of our show elephant. First we tried artificial insemination. We weren’t successful. We sent two of our cows to Kansas City, actually three of our cows to Kansas City for a honeymoon with the male that they had. And as a result of that, we had a… Read More
So now we have elephants in a natural environment. Baby in a natural manner in a beautiful environment and we’re educating the public. These elephants, chimpanzees and lions are ambassadors of the animals in the wild. We try to tell as much of a conservation story we can to make… Read More
Were you able to make changes?… Read More
How was the zoo changing at this time?… Read More
‘Cause you were the deputy director and kinda runnin’ everything, were you sayin’ to people, “Here’s what we’re gonna do”?… Read More
Durin’ this time of both Bob Briggs and Dick Schultz, I had the opportunity to be part of changing zoo philosophy. Up until that time, up until the late ’60s, early ’70s, the St. Louis Zoo was famous for the animal shows. Chimpanzee show was the most popular show anywhere,… Read More
Right. Bit of a conflict. Well when he was 65, they made him retire. He did not retire. He thought he would work until he was 70. Read More
So he was?… Read More