Interview 20517 – Caption Index: 150
What did you mean when you said each species is a surprise?… Read More
What did you mean when you said each species is a surprise?… Read More
They’re a puzzle, and you don’t have all the pieces. After so many years, they continue to throw me off altogether. Read More
What did you mean?… Read More
Let’s see. 34 years or so. Wait, I have to look at my paper. Anyway, 34 years or so. 31 years of which being a curator in several zoos. I didn’t want to get up to the zoo directorship. Too far away from the animal collection, too much politics. That’s… Read More
And that’s where I stayed. 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