Interview 20028 – Caption Index: 414
What would you say were the keys to maintaining your visitors’ attention?… Read More
What would you say were the keys to maintaining your visitors’ attention?… Read More
And it’s been that, it was that way for 40 years for me. You just meet really great people who are almost singularly focused on one thing, and that’s the animals that they take care of. Read More
How would you like to be remembered?… Read More
Your legacy?… Read More
No, I don’t believe that for a second, no, no. I don’t go down that rabbit hole. You’ve talked about the profession. Read More
What do you know about this profession that you devoted so many years of your life to?… Read More
Hmm, that’s a great question. Every time throughout my career that I thought I had it figured out, I realized I wasn’t close. And when I say that, I’m talking about a lot of things. That the CEO of any major company would probably think they got a good handle… Read More
Is this gonna cost me my job, that I’ve committed to do this thing and I’m being told I don’t have the resources to finish it?… Read More
But you do. You find a way, more out of fear than anything else. Sometimes people say, at the zoo, the animals should earn their keep. Read More
Do animals have to earn their keep?… Read More
There were a lot of them. (laughs) Just pick a card. had to do with money. You know, I think, like a lot of chief executives, having encountered instances where you have a member of your staff who let you down, somebody that you’ve relied on who you thought was… Read More
You end up finishing it, but getting from that point to that finish is nerve-racking and frustrating and angering and scary, you know. Read More
Has the selection criteria to decide what animal species become part of the survival program met with what you envisioned?… Read More
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