It’s so close, and yet the animal rights folks take the standards that ZAA had 10 years ago, and they present those as the standards. Well, look, ZAA doesn’t meet AZA standards because, and here’s the proof. Well, those standards are from 10 years ago. They’re not the ones we… Read More
The biggest difference is that AZA looks at finance, and government, and all that kind of thing. ZAA looks specifically at the animals and the animal areas in their accreditation program. So we don’t get into finance, we don’t get into all that kind of thing. We do do safety. Read More
Almost identical. Read More
I think that the two organizations have very different goals. AZA’s goals, and recognize, I’ve been outta AZA since 2015 when we left. But AZA’s goals are to be an accrediting body, a regulatory body, and to be an organization that only allows certain members in who meet their standards… Read More
I mean, honest to God, they take great care of their animals. It leaves out the private owners who have their private animal collection. Good god, there’s more rhinos in Texas than there are in Africa in some parts. So it leaves out the people who have those collections, they… Read More
Clearly. Read More
As president of the Zoological Association of America, why do you think there was an impasse with the two organizations?… Read More
Is there room for both?… Read More
Absolutely, a hundred percent. Actually both of ’em are needed. They’re needed. So you’ve got AZA, and AZA is an established, been accrediting zoos since 1985 organization. And they’ve matured now to more of a regulatory, elite organization. And so, that’s fine and good. That’s where they are now. But… Read More
Well, I think the organizations at large, both organizations, need to be really addressing and working together to develop solid strategies to combat the animal rights folks that are coming our way. And I think that’s the number one threat to zoos. The other threat, and when we look at… Read More
So we can’t rescue an animal from Africa. Heaven forbid there being an animal that needed our help. And then the other wing of the strategy is to pound us in PR efforts with lies and misinformation. And in that fashion then they’re trying to do both. What’s happening right… Read More
The same thing is true for addressing the animal rights issue. If we don’t work together, then we’re gonna be sunk. In my humble opinion. There are now two professional zoo associations. Read More
Well, that’s one of the things we did at the Pittsburgh Zoo was we purchased almost a thousand acres. Our international conservation center is a thousand acres, now, of property through a land preservation trust. And we were able to preserve that land. And I think that’s kind of a… Read More
What issues would you like the AZA or ZAA to be addressing now?… Read More
Well, in my opinion, marketing and PR are critical to our future. And when I think about marketing, I think about marketing, not just marketing to the general public, not TV, and media, and social media, and all that kind of stuff. But really what you’re doing when you’re fundraising… Read More
It takes a certain degree of of experience to be able to stand up there and talk to the media, because they’re out to get you. They’re out for a story. They’re out to win their Emmy or their Eddie or whatever they’re looking for, and they really play “gotcha”… Read More
What should zoos be doing, if anything, to help governments protect land masses?… Read More
Any advice for the neophyte zoo director about the importance of marketing zoos?… Read More
What are the most important aspects of marketing in your opinion?… Read More
We have 400,000 kids and adults coming to our programs. And so we absolutely had an impact on their knowledge of conservation, their knowledge of wildlife, their knowledge of the issues around those animals. And I think that’s so important, because education’s really what it’s all about. We really have… Read More