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
Would you recommend the zoo/aquarium field to a young person with a sincere interest in wildlife and conservation today?… Read More
Sure, absolutely. I’m gonna say a very grossly oversimplified thing. It’s fun. You meet great people. You get to work with incredible animals. You’re connected to the natural world in a very unique way. I just, I think it’s a great profession, and I would certainly encourage young people to… Read More
Does euthanizing of endangered species surplus genetic material still pose a political problem for zoos and aquariums?… Read More
Oh, I don’t know, everyone was different. I mean, I have so many people that I’m thankful to have had a relationship with. And really different people too. When I say different, I mean different education and background and sophistication. George Felton, great guy, director of the Baton Rouge Zoo. Read More
Sometimes I didn’t agree with him, but he would tell you. On the other end of that spectrum was Clayton Frye, somebody who I just loved. Was able to travel with him to Africa, to Costa Rica, lot of WAZA conferences international. He knew everybody, everybody knew him. Had incredible… Read More
Warren Iliff, who (laughs) was another very interesting character, but I learned a lot from Warren. He was, Warren was… Started in the career as the head of the Friends of the National Zoo in Washington, then became director of the Portland Zoo, the Dallas Zoo, and then the Aquarium… Read More
You’ve had a number of mentors. Read More
What are some of the things that they taught you that stand out?… Read More
Proudest accomplishment. Well, my proudest accomplishment are my two boys. But if you’re talking about the zoo, gorillas was a great. That was a wonderful day for me. I remember when they arrived from Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Illinois. I was out in the zoo and I was… I… Read More
Are there any zoos in the world, ’cause you’ve traveled, that you particularly admire, and why, and where are they?… Read More
No, sure. I like small zoos that do neat things and also some bigger zoos. I love the little zoo in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I love the Toledo Zoo. I think the Toledo Zoo is a gem. The zoo in Jersey, the island Jersey, Gerald Durrell Zoo is a great… Read More
So there’s one of those things where, is that use of our resources worth it?… Read More
I think it is. It bought us a lot of attention and continues to. Anytime there’s a new baby, there’s a ton of attention, and people flock to the zoo to see the baby koalas. Read More
Would you say that’s your proudest accomplishment, or do you have another one?… Read More
They breed like rabbits. People think they’re gonna love them till they see them. (laughs) They don’t move. But they brought a lot of attention to the zoo, but it was something that in a million years I never dreamed that we would have. Read More
And people always ask me, “What is the most expensive animal you feed in the zoo?… Read More
What is it to maintain?” And I say, “Well, it weighs about 12 pounds. and it costs about $80,000 a year to feed.” And I ask people, “Guess what it is.” Well, it’s gotta be that. (mumbles gibberish) “No, it’s koalas.” It blows their mind, that, you know. ‘Cause we’re… Read More
Well, what did you learn from your importation of koalas?… Read More
Ugh. Lessons. Well, this came about as these things often do in a completely unanticipated way. Our state, South Carolina, is very conservative, and we have had a long, long, long list of Republican governors. But, I guess now 15-20 years ago, by a fluke of circumstances, we elected a… Read More