Interview 20517 – Caption Index: 146
I wanted to end the zoo career with an up note instead of down note. It worked. Read More
I wanted to end the zoo career with an up note instead of down note. It worked. Read More
And when you retired from Staten Island, how many years had you been in the zoo profession?… Read More
So you mentioned you felt that this would be your last zoo position?… Read More
Mm-hmm. Read More
And why would you think that?… Read More
A small collection, one building zoo, which was unique at that time. One wing, quote unquote. With mammals, the birds, and herbs. And well-known for the very large rattlesnake collection, built by Kyle Coffield. You must have heard the name many times indeed. Read More
Did they have, they still continue to have his rattlesnake collection, or a portion?… Read More
By that time, it was much smaller. About one third of what they used to have. But yes, there still were quite a few species. Dozen, 15. And the reptile wing was a very nice place. Read More
Now what kind of zoo was the Staten Island zoo?… Read More
What was its makeup, and how did it fit in to the zoos in New York?… Read More
So I wanted to have a very nice place to finish off my zoo years, and after 10 years, I was looking. I was very fortunate to find a home the next zoo, final zoo. Read More
And that zoo is, how did it come about that you went to the Staten Island Zoo?… Read More
Staten Island Zoo, yes. I talked to Vin Gattullo. G-A-T-T-U-L-L-O. Into hiring me. And he was an educator biologist, unlike so many other zoo directors. So I went there. It was a very nice place, peaceful staff for a change. Read More
Part of the Detroit Zoo. Very ill-conceived. Animal facilities are just terrible. Very little space for keepers, very little space for night quarters, winter quarters, and it was on the elevated boardwalk. Impossible to walk in winter because of the ice and so on. So it was quite difficult. Difficult… Read More
Do you feel you were able to make contributions to the collection?… Read More
I would hope so, but collection was so limited. No indoor facility, basically hoofstock. So I couldn’t really expand the animal collection. So I did other things, such as working with UIA Seal, or the CBSG, now CPSG. Coordinating with the conservation programs, and also I got into conservation program… Read More
That’s what apparently happened. If you speak up as a keeper, you get kicked out. So I ended up with the rejects, who turned out to be pretty good. Read More
Can you talk about Belle Isle Zoo?… Read More
That was part of the Detroit Zoo?… Read More
What surprised me was he said because you treat me like a human being. Read More