I think so. In the early days, of course, it was a handful of animals, and next thing you know, you wake up one morning and there are hundreds of them, some of which at the time didn’t make a lot of sense (laughs) because there weren’t many of them. Read More
Can you remember what were some of your more frustrating or challenging times as director that stand out to you?… Read More
What was the most difficult concept for zoos to understand and implement regarding the relationship to conservation?… Read More
I think that one of the biggest challenges and one that still exists is that a lot of folks who work in the wild, in nature, in conservation look down their noses at the zoo profession. Even though, in some instances, zoos are providing funding, major funding for their projects. Read More
Absolutely, people don’t understand it, and I understand that people don’t understand it. You can’t say on the one hand that this is a highly endangered animal and we’re spending all of our resource trying to keep this species alive, and, oh, by the way, we’re gonna kill this one… Read More
Are you concerned about zoos and aquariums staying viable and pertinent in the next 25 years, and what direction will help them stay relevant?… Read More
25 years, I think certainly so. We’re still seeing a lot of money spent on new exhibits, better exhibits, better housing and conditions for animals. So yeah, I really do, and especially in urban environments, people need to have that connection to wildlife. You know, we talked about all the… Read More
Would you recommend the zoo/aquarium field to a young person with a sincere interest in wildlife and conservation today?… Read More
Sure, absolutely. I’m gonna say a very grossly oversimplified thing. It’s fun. You meet great people. You get to work with incredible animals. You’re connected to the natural world in a very unique way. I just, I think it’s a great profession, and I would certainly encourage young people to… Read More
Does euthanizing of endangered species surplus genetic material still pose a political problem for zoos and aquariums?… Read More
Oh, I don’t know, everyone was different. I mean, I have so many people that I’m thankful to have had a relationship with. And really different people too. When I say different, I mean different education and background and sophistication. George Felton, great guy, director of the Baton Rouge Zoo. Read More
Sometimes I didn’t agree with him, but he would tell you. On the other end of that spectrum was Clayton Frye, somebody who I just loved. Was able to travel with him to Africa, to Costa Rica, lot of WAZA conferences international. He knew everybody, everybody knew him. Had incredible… Read More
Warren Iliff, who (laughs) was another very interesting character, but I learned a lot from Warren. He was, Warren was… Started in the career as the head of the Friends of the National Zoo in Washington, then became director of the Portland Zoo, the Dallas Zoo, and then the Aquarium… Read More
You’ve had a number of mentors. Read More
What are some of the things that they taught you that stand out?… Read More
Proudest accomplishment. Well, my proudest accomplishment are my two boys. But if you’re talking about the zoo, gorillas was a great. That was a wonderful day for me. I remember when they arrived from Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Illinois. I was out in the zoo and I was… I… Read More
Are there any zoos in the world, ’cause you’ve traveled, that you particularly admire, and why, and where are they?… Read More
No, sure. I like small zoos that do neat things and also some bigger zoos. I love the little zoo in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I love the Toledo Zoo. I think the Toledo Zoo is a gem. The zoo in Jersey, the island Jersey, Gerald Durrell Zoo is a great… Read More
So there’s one of those things where, is that use of our resources worth it?… Read More
I think it is. It bought us a lot of attention and continues to. Anytime there’s a new baby, there’s a ton of attention, and people flock to the zoo to see the baby koalas. Read More