Well I tried to, the best way to do it is to try to co-opt them. You know become, not become necessarily a part of them, but to try to get to where there are some things that you can agree with them on, and I think you can. I’m… Read More
Are there certain type of primates that small or medium-type zoos should be concentrating on rather than the big gorillas or orangutans?… Read More
Well, I suspect they wouldn’t, a small zoo, today especially, wouldn’t have a gorilla or orangutan because of price, cost difference, the cost problem. I wouldn’t imagine that, I don’t know. But you know, there are a lot of things they could do. They could pick a, maybe a gibbon… Read More
With primates, how do you feel about the continuing research on primates from behavioral to invasive?… Read More
I don’t think that, being a small local zoo, I think that people really, no matter what kind of a zoo you are, people want to see a variety of animals, period. They really do. And you know, all you need to do is you should be doing something with… Read More
If you wanna do it with a large animal, so what?… Read More
Breed them, tell their story, send offspring to another place to help that facility, or to keep the bloodlines going. That’s the only thing you can do. And of course you can, a small zoo can have a real good education program because, you know, education programs aren’t, can be… Read More
We’re in a small zoo, it doesn’t matter. You can be a volunteer or docent anywhere. You don’t have to be in a big zoo, you can be in a small zoo. Read More
Or should it be endangered species?… Read More
Do they need the help, or non-endangered species?… Read More
Well, I think that they have to, it would be good for them maybe to specialize in something in particular. To be, you know, to specialize in a certain animal or certain group of animals that they could do a really good job on, even though they’re small or a… Read More
Following up on that, considering the financial resources available to the small or medium-size zoos, what should be the focus of the collection?… Read More
Should it be a regional, you know, North American, wherever they are?… Read More
What skillset does a zoo director need today as compared to when you started?… Read More
I suspect that it doesn’t, it’s the same. I suspect there is no difference anymore. You have to have the same skillset sets as you used to have. You gotta be a people person. Even if you’re a great animal person, if you’re a lousy people person, you’re probably not… Read More
What could a small or a medium-size zoo, municipal zoo do today to be involved in wildlife conservation nationally or internationally?… Read More
What made you a good director?… Read More
Well, I think I was probably the best zoo director San Francisco ever had, but that isn’t saying a lot, I don’t think honestly, but I was always honest. And I think that was the thing that the news media liked about me. ‘Cause they knew it and they’d never… Read More
At certain times it was, but at certain times it wasn’t. It’s maybe, you know, when the zoo was having some bad publicity, then it isn’t easy. But when there was good and there was plenty of good, it was relatively easy. Read More
Were there any surprise donations?… Read More