Interview 5420 – Caption Index: 654
What changes have you seen during your years in the zoo field regarding visitor attitudes and administration at the national level?… Read More
What changes have you seen during your years in the zoo field regarding visitor attitudes and administration at the national level?… Read More
In the last 20 years, 30 years, I think our visitors to the zoo have become more sophisticated. In fact, when I started in 1963, we were told write, sign, copy to appeal to a six year old ’cause that’s what the adult average mentality would be. But in fact,… Read More
What issues caused you the most concern during your career and how do you see the future regarding those concerns or are they been taken care of?… Read More
I can’t think of any issues that weren’t addressed. I can’t think of anything that I was totally frustrated or that I left feeling man, I wish I could’ve done that. Can’t recall anything. Read More
Well my personal experience at St. Louis. As we trained, we picked the best trained or trainable people, help them become curators. And then as curators, help them develop to the utmost. Encourage them to be involved nationally, international with conservation endeavors. That they would continue to be motivated so… Read More
But we’re not beyond bringing people in. We brought curators in from outta town to fill in. So we have a combination of homegrown and some outside trained people on the staff. As long as they stay motivated and they’re subject to annual appraisal by their supervisor, by the general… Read More
None of the curators work in a vacuum, none of the curators run a empire of their own. They’re all part of a team and they all interact and they all participate in the overall management of the zoo. So I think keeping that in that manner keeps ’em motivated… Read More
Is there a plus and a minus to having longevity in the sense of no new blood comes in or new ideas or that curators become complacent because they’ve been there so long?… Read More
Is there a good and bad to that or not?… Read More
Is that a problem and how do you believe?… Read More
You touched upon it a little, should curators be trained and what do you think is expected of them?… Read More
Well I think it’s a zoo director’s responsibility and his opportunity to encourage every keeper under his umbrella to become the best that they can possibly be, to encourage ’em to develop professionally, give them the opportunity, give them the support to reach that goal. Train curators to be keepers,… Read More
I’ll tell you my personal experience in animal rights while I was president, while I was director of the zoo. And in fact, president of AZA. I was also on the Board of Directors of the Animal Protective Association which is the biggest humane organization in the metropolitan St. Louis… Read More
And so that they really represented no threat to the St Louis Zoo whatsoever because the public defended us. So I think every zoo should look at themselves as being a humane act and then make sure they are doing the right thing with their animals so that it’s free… Read More
Is it there are too few good curators in the community today?… Read More
Is there still a place for that kinda thing and should it go on or just follow the dictum of the national?… Read More
Well I think as long as they’re tying all the resources into some individual private program, then I see no problem with them having an area of special interest. Might be somethin’ that’s local interest but has insignificance nationally. Zoos in many cases are afraid to confront animal welfare, animal… Read More
Can you give us your thoughts of how best to deal with these groups or how you did?… Read More
Should every zoo have a breeding program?… Read More
I would think every zoo. If they’re a zoo and they have any animals at all, they definitely should have some kind of a breeding program and it should be part of the AZA. An integrated breeding program and not an individual on its own. At times, zoos have worked… Read More