Well, I was always interested in them, I think, but being close to them, ’cause I was so close to them. Yes, I was so close to them I believe it did, you know, really stimulate me, so I really did get, and I think love is exactly the word… Read More
And so it became quite a, but anyway, he was, he got a big, relatively big name for himself. And some people came to see him from the Omaha Zoo, that they wanted to build a better zoo in Omaha. ‘Cause they had a, really a little place there in… Read More
Okay, we’ll get to that, I’m just curious, Were you involved in budget things with the director?… Read More
Were you involved in any of that or you were just, your job was taking care of primates?… Read More
No I wasn’t, yeah no, I was not really involved that much. In the budgeting and things like that, no I wasn’t. Read More
Do you think this formative years kind of got you your love of the great apes, or your interest?… Read More
Okay, where did the Al, working for Al Oeming come in?… Read More
(laughing) That was later. That was from, when I was at the Omaha Zoo. Okay. Read More
Now this was approximately 1963 to 1966. Read More
Is that approximately, that you were at the zoo?… Read More
Yes. Now this was your first zoo job. Yes. Just so I can put it in perspective. Yeah, it was my first zoo job. Read More
And Bosman’s, you know pottos, different kinds of pottos. And there were all kinds of big, big, there was a big variety. Read More
This was before naturalistic exhibits, what kind of exhibits did they look like?… Read More
Well, of course there were cages, you know. There were cages and there were things in the cages for them to do, and bars, and there was a window. There was a work aisle, and then there was a window that the public was, you know, the public could see… Read More
‘Cause they could go, you know, you could make a whole bunch of cages out of, by pulling a door, you know?… Read More
And I yelled at them, “Open the door, open the door between the cage!” And so they did and sure enough, one group ran in there and I said, “Close it,” And they closed it, and it was okay. But it was amazing to me how they all got put… Read More
I mean, when you got in, or was it, did you have a vision, “Okay, I’m in charge of primates now, here’s what I’d like to do or recommend.” Well, you know, I had just started off in the zoo business and I was not as, I wasn’t very, you… Read More
And I remember looking in the box and seeing Celebes apes, black apes, which of course is not a ape naturally, it is a monkey, but as a teeny teeny tail, and so that’s why they call it that. And there seemed to be something else in the same crate. Read More
They’re different species really, of animal. But they were actually doing okay in the crate. As soon as they came out of the crate, as soon as they came out of the crate, they paired off in their big groups and they started a battle. And I said to other… Read More
So that was the first inkling people figured, this ain’t the drug it’s supposed to be, you know?… Read More