Whereas in New York you need heated winter quarters. But then New York, as I admire Heini Hediger, I admire Bill Conway. I think he’s really wonderful, was really a wonderful zoo director and did a lot of good things. And one of the highlights for me is Congo Gorilla. Read More
Well, if you were gonna tell me to go to three zoos, what zoos would you tell me to go to?… Read More
No, I wasn’t an advisor. And during my Frankfurt time, I followed the tradition of Grzimek, who gave lectures at the University of Giessen and that is about 100 kilometers to the northeast of Frankfurt. But I didn’t feel that this is my work and that I can do it. Read More
Can you tell me possibly what zoos have you enjoyed visiting and learning from that you were able to maybe take ideas away and that have influenced you in your career?… Read More
You can learn from every zoo visit, I think. Even from the worst zoo, you can learn how not to do it. And it’s always, as with a favorite animal, it’s always a very difficult question, the favorite zoo, because Zoo A might have the best ape facility, Zoo B… Read More
And how important is it to the entire, as you see it, European zoo world?… Read More
In Frankfurt, we didn’t have a special assigned facility keeping animals. We only worked with the animals on public viewing. But I was very proud that I was able to appoint a curator for science. Although I do not think, and that was a, insofar quite good, as the person… Read More
As you were in the university and you had an advisor, have you been an advisor to students doing work at the zoo?… Read More
They are usually very lonesome in a city, so a lot of regular visitors. I knew a gentleman who came for 50 years every day to Frankfurt Zoo, and lot more are coming once a week or so. And they usually assemble with charismatic species, that is usually big cats… Read More
We’ve talked about conservation and education. Read More
How important was science and research to you in the Frankfurt Zoo?… Read More
Frankfurt Zoo is only 11 hectares in size. That is tiny and surrounded by the city. And when I arrived, there were Shetland ponies, there were pygmy goats and so on, but just in ordinary enclosures. That was probably the first change of an exhibit because it was the cheapest,… Read More
Wild species are not touchable for the visitor. And so I found this very important to get the children access to the pygmy goats. And we started rides with the Shetland ponies as another experience. And of course this continues. For families, for example, we made double labeling very low. Read More
So I think we reached quite a good collaboration between the two organization. There’s been some debate among zoo people sometimes about the use and the reason for children’s zoo. Read More
Did Frankfurt Zoo have a children’s zoo?… Read More
And if so, what’s your opinion about children’s zoo?… Read More
And when you came into the Frankfurt Zoo and as you were director, was there then a much bigger emphasis that you wanted to place on conservation?… Read More
Or was the zoo society already doing so many things that you just had to make sure it was kept going?… Read More
It’s very strange. My predecessor, Richard Faust, he was zoo director and President of Frankfurt Zoological Society. But in his term there was just one label in the zoo announcing Frankfurt Zoological Society, a small label in the old carnivore house. And I very much tried to, the cooperation between… Read More
What story shall we tell the visitor with the animals involved?… Read More