I think there are two main points Hediger wanted to be known. The most important probably is respect for animals. And the other one is that zoos are justified, scientifically justified. And this, I think, is becoming more and more important since animal rights organizations try to stop keeping dolphins… Read More
What did you do?… Read More
At the time you worked with him, did you realize his significance and what his impact would be on the zoo world?… Read More
I started working with him directly 14, no, 24 years after his first important book was published. So I already knew at that time, how important his work was. So for me, it was very clear that he was in Europe, the most important zoo biologist. There is another person… Read More
What philosophies do you think a younger zoo professional should take away after reading Hediger’s book or books?… Read More
Well, he, the measurement of jumps in circus animals, this was done much, much earlier by Hagenbeck. So this was not the field in which Heini was interested since it doesn’t relate to the human-animal relationship. And by the way, one of his books, unfortunately only three of his books… Read More
So this is a book unknown to many Americans?… Read More
Yes, it is. Since it was never translated, it is unknown to all American colleagues, unfortunately. Maybe that should be a project. Well, I should write my own articles, I think. And it’s time consuming to translate a book. And I assume very few copies would be sold nowadays. Now,… Read More
But if I see elephants doing bad human tricks, I feel sorry for the animals. Read More
Would Heini ask the circus people, for example, in jumping distance, would he ask them to see how far their cats could jump?… Read More
Was that part of what he would be doing in his relationship with the circus people?… Read More
Is that a philosophy that you have, that philosophy of today may be different than yesterday with the keeping of endangered species in circuses, is that a philosophy that you have evolved over the years or did you always feel that way?… Read More
I think, I am not against circuses. And I see Heini Hediger’s point. This special relationship between certain specimens of animals and humans. But I think nowadays, the endangerment of so many species no longer justify to, if you want, sacrifice specimens of endangered species for the circus. But I… Read More
Can you explain how his work with the circus helped in the zoo field?… Read More
Well, Heini Hediger had, one of Heini Hediger’s special interests was relationship between animals and humans. That was one of his focal scientific interests. And of course, in a circus, this relationship between, especially big cats and humans, is very critical. And you can observe a lot of things, like… Read More
This was rather in his early years, until the ’50s, early ’60s, but he retained good relationship with the circus. And I think that is one of the fields where time changed. In my mind, even as a student of Heini and admirer of Heini, in my mind, nowadays, it’s… Read More
I think Heini Hediger would be very proud how we proceed in Europe to have more natural enclosures for more natural groups of animals with self-sustaining breeding successes. I think he would be very satisfied. And less people knows the name of Heini Hediger, but I think more people follow… Read More
Even though they may not be familiar with his teachings, that they have somehow learned these principles through other professionals that they’ve worked with, even though they may not know who Heini Hediger is?… Read More
For example, with distances, I think nowadays every zoo biologist know what is an individual distance or what is a flight distance. We have to work with these distances in everyday zoo work. But probably less than 10% knows that these distances were discovered by Heini Hediger. And I think… Read More
But why do you think zoos in Europe have not embraced or younger generations have not embraced his teachings?… Read More