Well, I have to tell you, where I grew up. I was born in Galveston. But in two years we moved to a little, kind of a hick town in North Texas, north of Dallas called Sherman, Texas. And we grew up there. I did. For some reason, it can’t… Read More
And we had a miniature turtle-arium And I just made that word up, but it sounds okay. So I grew up and then, oh! We had a fish pond. I didn’t want goldfish. We would go fishing at one of the lakes and we’d bring perch back. We’d bring a… Read More
What kind of zoos did you see when you were growing up?… Read More
What are your recollections of those beginnings?… Read More
What else did you want?… Read More
Your full name?… Read More
My full name is Lawrence Lloyd Curtis. And my friends call me Lawrence or Larry, or sometimes things I wouldn’t want to, you know, you don’t want it on the camera. But anyway, I’ll answer to anything. I’ve even been called Reverend Dr. Curtis. And I answer to that. When… Read More
That’s what we strived for. (sniffles) And Frank, how would you like to be remembered?… Read More
(Frank and Connie laughing) Nobody’s perfect. (Frank and Connie laughing) That’s what he used to always say to me. That’s a, that’s a- Nobody’s perfect. (chuckling) That’s a good memory. Read More
I’m not that proud. I’m proud of some of the animals I handle, and I think they would be proud to have me say so. Read More
Any in particular?… Read More
(Frank chuckles) He’s gonna tear up. I’ll say something here. When he started his import business, whether it be birds or mammals, he and I and our oldest daughter helped a lot through some of those years. She was wonderful with birds. But any shipment we got, we felt a… Read More
You were always saying that feet need good care, feet. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yes, and so you have to be able to treat their feet. Yes. Read More
What would you say is a proud accomplishment of yours in the profession?… Read More
What are you proud about in the profession that you’ve done?… Read More
First of all, Asian elephants should not be kept with African elephants. The two species should be kept separate. That way, you don’t find an African dying of a disease that only Asians have. Elephants do not require a large area. Yes, they migrate long, long distances in Africa, not… Read More
Given that experience, what’s your view about zoos maintaining elephants and how it should be done correctly?… Read More
Handle them with care and easily. Don’t get rough. Don’t get rough with them. I’ve handled 55 African elephants and about 32 Asians. Of the two, Africans were much preferred by me. Asians can be rougher, a lot rougher, but they are handled roughly by the Asian people that handle… Read More
Any advice you would give to the new zoo director about the importance of marketing your zoo?… Read More
No, I think that that depends on the zoo director and the era in which he is head of a zoo. You have to play the game as it happens to you. You have an expertise in elephants, learned over the years. Read More