Well, I think the organizations at large, both organizations, need to be really addressing and working together to develop solid strategies to combat the animal rights folks that are coming our way. And I think that’s the number one threat to zoos. The other threat, and when we look at… Read More
So we can’t rescue an animal from Africa. Heaven forbid there being an animal that needed our help. And then the other wing of the strategy is to pound us in PR efforts with lies and misinformation. And in that fashion then they’re trying to do both. What’s happening right… Read More
The same thing is true for addressing the animal rights issue. If we don’t work together, then we’re gonna be sunk. In my humble opinion. There are now two professional zoo associations. Read More
What issues would you like the AZA or ZAA to be addressing now?… Read More
Well, that’s one of the things we did at the Pittsburgh Zoo was we purchased almost a thousand acres. Our international conservation center is a thousand acres, now, of property through a land preservation trust. And we were able to preserve that land. And I think that’s kind of a… Read More
Well, in my opinion, marketing and PR are critical to our future. And when I think about marketing, I think about marketing, not just marketing to the general public, not TV, and media, and social media, and all that kind of stuff. But really what you’re doing when you’re fundraising… Read More
It takes a certain degree of of experience to be able to stand up there and talk to the media, because they’re out to get you. They’re out for a story. They’re out to win their Emmy or their Eddie or whatever they’re looking for, and they really play “gotcha”… Read More
What should zoos be doing, if anything, to help governments protect land masses?… Read More
Any advice for the neophyte zoo director about the importance of marketing zoos?… Read More
What are the most important aspects of marketing in your opinion?… Read More
We have 400,000 kids and adults coming to our programs. And so we absolutely had an impact on their knowledge of conservation, their knowledge of wildlife, their knowledge of the issues around those animals. And I think that’s so important, because education’s really what it’s all about. We really have… Read More
I think that our core mission is always gonna be our core mission when it comes to education. I mean, our core focus is always gonna be, and should always be talking about the animals, educating the visitors about the animals, the visitors, and our students, and our classes, our… Read More
But speaking of education, what direction should zoo education be going as it relates to conservation, education and research?… Read More
Our graphics were never doom and gloom graphics, our graphics were always trying to be positive, and yet still address the issue. So, I think through graphics, through conservation programs, through educational programs, we need to educate the public about the human population growth and make them aware that, oh… Read More
Is education doing any good, particularly in boosting the image of zoos among the public in the face of the anti zoo groups?… Read More
Absolutely. I mean, here’s the problem. The animal rights folks got so far ahead of us, and they’re so well funded, that we’re behind the eight ball. But still, the wonderful programs that zoos have had forever, a good zoo has always had an education program. I mean, we did… Read More
There’s not gonna be food for the animals because of the human population. So we really, as a zoo, I think, need to take that issue and educate people about it. Read More
I think in the future zoos have to address more strongly, as we talked about, the animal rights issues. But the other thing that I think zoos are totally ignoring, but is really at the root of all animal problems, is the human population growth. Human population growth is the… Read More
Our graphics were never “hit you over the head” graphics, right?… Read More
What issues would you like to see zoos address in the future?… Read More