Marketing is important, but I think some zoos exaggerate this. Frankfurt Zoo, for example, as a city zoo, has had a very small budget. And I can’t remember how much money I have had, maybe 30,000 or at the most 100,000 Euro per year. So it’s nothing compared to many… Read More
There are, of course, a lot of trials. One, for example, is feeding of giraffes, for example. In my mind, that’s the wrong way to go. We should respect the animals as they are and we should be able to observe their natural feeding and not to give tidbits at… Read More
I, with one exception, with exception of the filtration system in our seal cliffs. I never, ever went behind the scene with the visitors because we are building a natural-looking scene and therefore, we shouldn’t have the visitor view behind the scene. But it should be for them that’s a… Read More
And if the visitor shows interest, then he or she might show interest to pay for conservation as well. I’m a new zoo director. Read More
I think zoos are no islands. Zoos are part of our society. They must reflect the thinking of the society. But, at the same time, zoos must try to influence our society in the right direction. And exactly the same is true with a board or whatever authority, political superiors. Read More
We can not act against the society and against the politicians, against the boards. So we have to try to influence them in a kind way and to convince them that we need to do what we actually do. Read More
What can be done, and you’ve talked about it a little, but to make that visitor connection more meaningful in a zoo?… Read More
The Northern White Rhino became extinct in Garamba National Park in Congo about six years ago or so. And I think there’s still an old non-reproductive pair in San Diego Wild Animal Park and an old non-reproductive pair, or two non-reproductive females in the Czech Republic. And only two pairs… Read More
Is there any way you think one can insulate oneself against politicians and their, their potential trying to manage a zoo or to deal with issues in the zoo?… Read More
How do they rank in importance in their usefulness?… Read More
I am very skeptical. Heini Hediger was totally against it. I think if we need artificial breeding techniques, we make something wrong because our aim should be that species reproduce naturally. And if we can not reach this, it’s something wrong that we have to correct and improve that the… Read More
But he walks through a habitat and may see or may not see animals. Usually he or she hears animals and feels the smell of tropical rainforest and so on. So I think that was a very big step forward. And if you see even a daga torso, it’s a… Read More
For example, I assume about six or seven huge enclosures. Or huge enclosures for African savanna species, like antelopes or zebras. And that’s, of course, another dimension for breeding on a large scale and saving species. So of course, there are difficulties as well. You genetically, can no longer as… Read More
Do you see a realistic role in assisted reproduction techniques in maintaining endangered species, such as semen sexing or artificial insemination?… Read More
And that’s a very important point. And Hagenbeck even went much further. He built so-called panoramas. And the most famous one is the Africa panorama, where in the front, you see flamingos and behind you see, in a savannah enclosure, zebras and ostriches. And even further behind are the lions. Read More
But of course, these enclosures were rather like concrete enclosures so it was mainly more for the visitor than for the animals, these moated enclosures. The second milestone was achieved in the ’30s of last century in St. Louis Zoo, when the first open-fronted aviary was created. And that’s psychologically… Read More
Because combining all the animals of the region in a sensible way, demographically and genetically, we can retain much more genetic variability than before, when usually each zoo just worked for itself and usually sent brother-sisters to another zoo as a new breeding start. So the regional breeding programs, I… Read More
The animal rights group, I mentioned it several times, we should be better than so far, keep the animals better. But very important, I think, is to be, as a zoo, very, very open and honest. Every zoo has a bad exhibit somewhere. And even to label it as our… Read More
What do you consider five of the major highlights of zoo management?… Read More
I think zoo biology has five milestones. The first is, was achieved with the opening of Hagenbeck’s Tierpark in Hamburg. Hagenbeck’s animal park in Hamburg. Hagenbeck has had a circus and trains lions and tigers to reach the distance they can jump. And afterwards, he built his animal park, by… Read More