Well, a lot of zoo directors at Nephi, they all understand marketing. Yeah, no, you have to get people to come to the zoo. I think marketing and zoos, first of all that Sue Allen was the greatest marketing person. And I was fortunate that we were able to work… Read More
Any advice for that Neophyte Zoo director about the importance of it marketing a zoo?… Read More
They’re stressed. So I’m not sure if we just measure stress. Again, I’m not a scientist. Maybe there’s different kinds of stress or something. But if an animal is stressed a little bit, I’m not sure that’s necessarily a bad thing because that’s the way animals survive by being stressed. Read More
You know, how do animals stay alive in Africa?… Read More
And as I said, sometimes most zoos now and credited zoos have their own person that keeps track of that. So they make sure the keepers are looking at their animals regularly and filling out the forms. And sometimes quarterly, at least yearly it’s required. And there’s a whole system… Read More
So where I think we always did that. Now it’s really documented and it’s scientific in a sense that because it is documented and, and, and everybody takes place. And I think the keepers at first just didn’t like it ’cause it was so much work. But now I think… Read More
And what I worry a little bit about it, and I’m not a scientist, but we do all the cortisone studies to show if they’ve stressed, is stress a bad thing?… Read More
Oh, I think they are so much more now than ever before. Every, any, any zoo. Now, even a small zoo, Akron has their own animal welfare curator. And all that person does is goes through the, you know, the accreditation has a real process of animal welfare. Now you’re… Read More
They knew I was walking around. So I, I think that was helpful that, you know, and it was part of that management by walking around, just going and thanking them. And they all knew I was coming and, and they kind of appreciated, I think. And it, I, it… Read More
Do you feel zoos and aquas need to be more involved with animal welfare?… Read More
So I came back ’cause my, what I was worried about is would the maintenance staff not finish one project and then start another?… Read More
It had a wrapper on it and I forget all the things it said, but it said, you are appreciated it. Happy birthday, you’re appreciated. And, and everybody’s birthday, I would try to find that person. Now it might be a day late or a week late or whatever, but… Read More
And so there were exhibits closed all the time because they hadn’t done this or that. So we, we tried to keep most of the exhibits open and with animals. Now it might be sleeping, it might be back in a corner, but I could see it. And so that… Read More
And I, on that checklist I would, could I see the animal or not?… Read More
And as I was doing it, I’d talked to keepers as I walked around or even guessed as I walked around. Read More
No, but I did management by walking around and I thought it was very effective and people knew it. So what I did, I did two things every month. I took a checklist like yours, I had 192 exhibits from a leaf cutter and exhibit to an elephant exhibit. Read More
I did not do traditional rounds. I think it’s important for zoos to be out in the zoo. And I, I’m sure I was out in the zoo every day, but I didn’t get there in the morning and traditionally do a round and walk around. First of all it… Read More
And is that something you did?… Read More
How important do you feel it is for a zoo director to make rounds of the zoo?… Read More
I know there probably are because I think cities sometimes have sister zoo relationships with probably not so much with China anymore, but with, with places. And, and through that you might part be part of a delegation that would go to the, the city because there’s a sister zoo… Read More