I think, again, the more personable you can, I mean the guided tours were great because then you had them captured and then we’d try to bring an animal out too, so they also got a touch experience with them or something like that. But it was… And it’s kind… Read More
And depending what age you’re working with. You personalize it to them. Read More
No. No, it was a paid zoo, but. There were so many days that we had to have free days. So we would have a free day which, you know, for anybody that works in a zoo, those can be kind of wild days. Because it’s just massive. And you… Read More
So the zoo was free?… Read More
So it was an experience to go through that. But no, we were not free. We had so many free days per our regulations in order for us to get funding. So that was a requirement. Read More
What was your thought process?… Read More
Part of that was led through our education department at the time. And again, using the people that you have and their skills. At one time our education curator was very much a showman in my opinion. And he was able to work with some animals and do some bird… Read More
We got away from going to every school and instead had worked out a thing with the school system where they came to the zoo. That way they could see more and get a better education, number one. It was hard for them because that’s an expense to put them… Read More
When you were director, did the zoo have animal shows?… Read More
Some can be seen, or maybe priority wise, oh this is fun. We’ll throw in a little education and some conservation with it too. But its main focus may be fun or entertaining or a more active exhibit, but then you try to put something with it, so it’s building… Read More
And what were they and what was the derivation?… Read More
I think every exhibit has different uses. You gotta look at the big package. It would be nice if we tried to put a conservation message on each one that we did. You know, if we, say the sea lion pool. You needed something for people to get drawn to… Read More
And talking about education too, within the zoo, should all newly constructed exhibits incorporate a conservation conclusion?… Read More
Every exhibit doesn’t have to be the conservation thing, you know?… Read More
That it wasn’t wait ’til an animal gets sick. Let’s do regular exams and have records saying when we did that and what it was at this time and doing weights and all that, so you had a baseline to go with. And then I think because my bent was… Read More
The only thing we had done was to train them so that we could get them to go into a holding cage so that we could get into the display to clean it. So I think the whole behavioral enrichment was, to me, one of the best things that came… Read More
Regular checks on things, you know?… Read More
I think a lot of people forget that. But I think you always have to come back to what you’re there for. Read More
Oh. Well we expanded. We did get a new veterinarian who was much more involved in not only just coming in if something was sick, but in setting up. Read More
So when we talk about animals, what would you say is the most significant change in the care of animals under your leadership?… Read More