Interview 3934 – Caption Index: 471
Did I really feel like in the great end of things that I helped save the universe?… Read More
Did I really feel like in the great end of things that I helped save the universe?… Read More
I don’t think that’s been accomplished, but on the other hand I wouldn’t want to have gone through life saying to myself, “Nothing I can do is going to stop this, so I’m not gonna do anything.” So, all I can say to anybody in the conservation field, whether it’s… Read More
Considering the financial resources available to many small and medium sizes, what should be the focus of the collection?… Read More
How much space does that take?… Read More
I mean, so there’s no excuse. I used to give a lot of papers to small zoos about that when I was, there’s just no excuse not to get involved. None. Read More
What do you feel should be the approach to conservation?… Read More
But part of our bottom line is whether we have achieved the education and the conservation of certain species. Doesn’t mean you get to run your zoo in the hole doing it, but I think when they bring in too many business people that don’t know how to value or… Read More
What kind of small or medium-sized in the zoo today to be involved in wildlife conservation, either nationally or internationally?… Read More
Anything they want. I mean, I never looked at it other than I didn’t have much money at all, and no facilities has been with it, but basically I never looked at it like I can’t be involved unless I have. There’s a way to get involved. I mean, you… Read More
So, there’s no excuse not to be involved if you want to be, and your size of your zoo and your funding doesn’t stop you from not being involved. It will stop you from breeding elephants and rhinos, yeah. But there’s millions of ways to be involved, to get involved… Read More
(Karen sighs) Well, I think they needed the same skillset then as now, but I think more of them recognize that they need the skillset, at least I pounded into Terry’s head, my assistant director before she went on, that you’ve gotta understand the books. You have to understand the… Read More
If you don’t really understand your finances and if you don’t really understand what you’re spending and where the money’s going, how are you gonna manage it?… Read More
And he who understands the numbers has the power in the organization. If you really understand them, not just BS’ing people, if you can really look your board in the eye and say, “I know this exhibit is gonna cost this and bring it in for that. I know that… Read More
What do you think it was?… Read More
I think ideally it was that I never, I thought of myself as director only when I had to make a decision that affected everybody. Other than that, I was just a member of a team. I had my job in the team, they had their jobs in the team. Read More
I was willing to listen to any opinion, as long as it was presented to me and occasionally I had changed my mind. They could convince me I was wrong, or they could convince me that the way they wanted to do it was better than the way I wanted… Read More
What skill set does the zoo director need today as compared to when you started?… Read More
It’s everybody’s job. It’s the keeper’s job, it’s the toilet cleaners job, it’s everybody’s job. And they have to feel like that, and I certainly had certain staff members who would say to me, that’s not my job. And I’d go, well, yeah, it is. And if you don’t change… Read More
What made you a good director?… Read More
I don’t know if I was one (laughs). That’s the first question (laughs). Well, they say time is currency of greatness. You have obviously been there a significant amount of time. So, you must’ve been doing something correct. Read More