Well, the advances in veterinary medicine. I mean, I had keepers at the National Zoo who their specialty was lassoing an animal to catch it. So I think the changes in veterinary medicine have enabled all the other changes, the natural, that and animal enrichment programs, having keepers having time… Read More
Yeah, and he replaced me at the National Zoo. And this man who loves elephants and devoted his life to elephants, he basically equated elephants in zoos to abused women. That they’re such a social animal that they need that contact with someone. And whether, you know, you’re Smokey Jones,… Read More
Yeah, so Milwaukee was the only one. Madison got out of elephants. So Chuck wanted to make a commitment to elephants. And we have a dedicated elephant staff, but, I mean, they’re special people, and they have to be treated specially, ’cause elephants are special animals. Read More
Brookfield, did Brookfield get out of elephants too?… Read More
What are your, and you’ve had some experience, what are your views regarding the hot topic of zoos maintaining elephants in their collections?… Read More
Well, I tell ya, elephants have been a problem for me my whole time as curator. Read More
And the best, and this is the best description I’ve heard of elephants, came from John Lenhart, who, I guess, he was at Lincoln Park?… Read More
Well, you should know, that’s the, when Wisconsin hit, we had the wasting disease, the deer wasting disease. And so it closed all the deer farms and elk farms in the state of Wisconsin. Local animal dealer convinced them all that they should start raising wild animals, so they should… Read More
First of all, they gotta realize they’re working with people and not animals. Patience, and the ability to admit that you don’t know something and find out how to do it, ask questions. Read More
What would be the three top qualities a curator should have today?… Read More
‘Cause, I mean, I can tell ya when I left, no one ever called me from the zoo to ask me, “How did you do this? How did you do that?’ You know, we all learned sort of in a vacuum and you built your own network. So yeah, you… Read More
Do you have any thoughts on that, their longevity, it’s a good thing for the zoological community, that type of?… Read More
But there are a number of private zoos, well financed by people, who have put a lot of money into them and done some interesting things. Read More
I mean, like you, we decided in high school we wanted to work in a zoo. Who knows, I mean, nobody in my family ever worked with animals. My mother wouldn’t allow us to have pets, ’cause she thought they were a nuisance. It’s just, so, I think what zoos… Read More
(chuckles) What do I do now?… Read More
Do you think that’s a problem and how should curators be trained today to do what’s expected of them?… Read More
The complaints sometimes from zoo directors, there’s too few good curators in the community today. Read More
Well, I think staffing is a problem in general. Part of it is when we started, you know, the whole environmental movement was starting and all the international regulations on managing the animal trade. I mean, the gibbons at the National Zoo were brought back by Vietnam vets who had… Read More
I’ve never seen anything like that, because there really is, I mean, most zoo equipment is created for other organizations and you just adapt it to your own use. Read More
You learn something everywhere you go and, you know, you find a tip from someone, or I’m having this problem and, oh, well this is what we use and where did you get that?… Read More