But, but if, if they, if if we have the right messages out there and we’re delivering the right messages to the right audience, then I think it makes, it makes a difference. Families are probably, you know, what we focus on most at zoos, but when you look at… Read More
That they want to come back. Because, Because they not only had a good time, but they learned something that their children repeated to them and then they maybe went to the library and took out a book. God, they read a book and instead of looked at the computer… Read More
So it’s different. And so if you could, the way I would educate is you have, you have that animal person, you know, with, with every guest that comes in and tells those stories and brings ’em back and do does stuff. But, but you can’t do that at Disney… Read More
They, you gotta, you gotta inspire that guest, motivate those guests so that they just don’t go away. Some of them will anyway, just go away with some nice pictures. Statistics, safe families are very big in coming to zoos. Read More
What did you want families and their kids to feel when they had left your zoo?… Read More
Would you say education is, is doing good, particularly in boosting the image of zoos among the public when you have people who are against zoos?… Read More
It depends on the type of education and the education people, we tend to focus in zoos on mo Most, a lot of the education is, is younger, younger age kids. And I don’t think we do enough for adults and I, because adults are the, are the ones that… Read More
Yes, we’re gonna charge you more to come in, but you’re gonna have a better experience. That was, that was the, that was the hard pill to swallow. ’cause when I came to the Houston Zoo, it was $2 and 50 cents for an adult and 50 cents for a… Read More
75% of the people that come to Walt Disney World are return visits. So they spend a lot of time on that. They’re coming back for a reason. You know, they’re, they’re having fun, but they’re also, they also know that it’s, it, it that just by, just by coming… Read More
But the city doesn’t run ’em, the city is not set up to run zoos anymore. Maybe it, it was, it was the best way to do it 50 years ago, but now it’s, it’s certainly not the model for the future. The, that’s why all these zoos, we’ve privatized… Read More
The, the key was, you mean you’re gonna charge more to come in?… Read More
Well, the, it, it, I don’t know the, if it’s a different culture or it’s just a different structure and way of doing business. You have non-profit and for-profit, I would put it in those terms. They’re, they, they act non-profits are not gonna be successful unless they run like… Read More
So as you look back on it now, curiously, is there a difference in the culture between a government or municipal type zoo and a private zoo and the corporate zoo such as Disney? Was there a different culture?… Read More
No, it’s not that comparison. That’s not what a zoo is about. A zoo is about, you know, inspiring, enlightening people and giving hope. And, and once you bring those politicians out, most of them will, will become your, you know, they’ll be, they’ll become your supporters rather than your… Read More
It’s really good for our city. It’s, it’s, it’s, it’s a community treasure. Read More
It’s not that, why should we give money to animals when we got people starving over here?… Read More
Oh, in, oh no, it, well, Disney, you had higher ups that did that kind of stuff. You know, if they had to meet with the mayor, sometimes we have, we’d have them come out the, the local mayor and stuff. But you bring them to your facility and you… Read More
Invite, did You have to do it at Disney?… Read More
Do you give it a, a trophy even when it comes in last, you know, you, you gotta exper you’ve gotta experience both, you know, the, the highs and the lows of life. And I don’t know how you do that with animal welfare. ’cause animal welfare is just always… Read More
Is there, what do you think is the most efficient way to deal with elected officials and municipal bureaucrats in order to develop and manage the zoo today?… Read More