The understanding, the concern for the environment. Most animal activists that I’ve encountered, and those that I’ve done one-on-ones with in those groups that I’ve tried to engage are so, almost rabid in their desire to see an end to elephants, to killer whales, to zoos, that they’re beyond reasoning… Read More
So for the future of zoos, is there one thing that’s potentially more important?… Read More
I understand it’s a very dramatic, but I think it’s a, as they say, it’s a, maybe a two-day news cycle. And then after that people forget. Read More
What do you say to these animal activists or other people who don’t believe zoos should be in existence?… Read More
I think they haven’t taken, I say to them, do you really understand what you’re saying?… Read More
You ask whether I think that this is the end of it. I think it’s just the beginning. These were two huge, two huge accomplishments for animal rights activists, largely as a result of disgruntled employees and insider information that may or may not be true as we’ve said before. Read More
Has this, was this a good response to elephant conservation in your opinion?… Read More
I viewed the burning of ivory with mixed emotions. I understand why it’s done. It’s done to make a very dramatic statement. It’s done to demonstrate primarily to poachers and those who buy poacher materials, that there is no hope for the future of ivory. But then I look at… Read More
Do you think that there are these, there are additional things, that they will be attacking zoos for and what’s the philosophy of a zoo then?… Read More
Or do you think they’ve just picked certain species and we’ll end it at that?… Read More
No, I think that, I think elephants, elephants were the first cause chip, chip, chip, chip, chip, killer whales were second, killer whales, probably with some good reason if you understand anything about where they came from and what happens to the group once they’re taken out of nature, it… Read More
As someone who grew up with elephants in circuses, both as a spectator and a behind the scenes up close to elephants, I think it’s an American tragedy that Ringling Brothers has taken the elephants off of the circuit. I think it’s a tragedy because people who ordinarily wouldn’t ever… Read More
I think it’s a tragedy. And I think it’s one that we will, some of us will regret that we didn’t take a stronger stand for the exhibition of elephants and the use of elephants in demonstrations like that. Animal rights groups have been against killer whales, have been very… Read More
They have to be viewed as living documents. They’re subject to change, they’re subject to availability. They’re subject to the vagaries of animal availabilities. They’re subject to changing values and changing more it says as evidenced, both by elephants and by killer whales. And you said elephants to other questions,… Read More
Is there any benefits to having such shows?… Read More
Do you have any feelings about it from the conservation or from an education point of view?… Read More
The expenses related to elephants, at all levels, but particularly the amount of space and equipment and design that goes into it, first of all, to allow them to have adequate space and to allow adequate stimulus, it’s justified if the institution and its deciding board have said, this is… Read More
What’s the positives and negatives of the collection plan?… Read More
Well, a collection plan essentially gets buy in from the institution that this is the direction that we’re going to go with our collection. We’re going to have birds, mammals, reptiles, and all of those birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians. There’s going to be representatives of whatever the examples turn out… Read More
Or what do you think the response should be?… Read More