First of all, I thoroughly enjoyed my membership, and I thoroughly enjoyed the people, the colleagues that I met. Really good friends from all over the world. Smart people. But I was encouraged, when I was chair of the AZA the first time, I created the long-range planning committee, looking… Read More
And it’s particular the Germans, who were very influential in WAZA back then. And change came very slowly, and I’m not a slow person. And, you know, I would talk about, “Hey, we need to do this, we need to do that. You know, let’s change the bylaws and allow… Read More
That’s not a role for the AZA. That’s a role for WAZA, the World Zoo and, World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. And they have been… They have been trying to do that for 30 years. And I don’t know that they’ve made a lot of inroads in that endeavor. Read More
Because you mentioned WAZA, very quickly, the World Zoo Association and Aquariums, you said you were president, and you said it was not so much fun. Read More
We’re experts at it. And I would like to think that there are organizations and there are countries around the world who, if not now, will soon take advantage of the resources that we have. Read More
When the zoo spends multimillion dollars on a gorilla or an elephant or a tiger exhibit and critics ask why this money is not used to help the animals in the wild, you say what?… Read More
I thought you were going in a different direction there. (laughs) I have been challenged, and I think every zoo director has been challenged. “You spent $17 million on five sea lions?” which is basically the last major exhibit I did. And you get asked that question and you go,… Read More
Is the conservation issue so big that it’s an unreasonable request to ask for zoos?… Read More
I would hate to think that any zoo is paying lip service to it. I really would. You know, I was proud of the few little things we did. I always wanted to do more. I never thought we were gonna change the world. I never thought we were going… Read More
And that’s way above my pay grade. Read More
But is it our job, so to speak, to ensure that countries halfway around the world that we have no control over manage their wild places and wild resources in a responsible manner?… Read More
I don’t, I can’t wrap my head around that as someone who was director of a medium-sized zoo, that I could ever have that kind of impact. Doesn’t mean, I guess I should be honest and say it doesn’t mean you don’t try, you don’t look for those opportunities, but… Read More
Financial? Is it still viable?… Read More
I think it’s a great idea. I wish zoos could do more of it, but again, it comes down to resources. And, you know, if you’re struggling to, if you’re struggling to maintain your zoo or to, you know, build new exhibits or pay competitive salaries to your employees, to… Read More
Is that really the mission of the zoo?… Read More
The Adopt-a-Park concept seems like a natural for zoos to assist the wild. Read More
Why have zoos not picked up on the challenge in more numbers?… Read More
It was so frustrating, so frustrating. These things have to be taken on a case by case basis. Well, you mentioned it. Read More
Is there a wild out there, or have the majority of wild spaces been turned into managed wild zoos?… Read More
A little bit of both. I tell people that, to my knowledge, I don’t think there is a black rhinoceros in Africa that’s wild. They’re all being followed 24/7 by rangers armed with infrared, night vision binoculars, and rifles too, or they’d be dead within 24 hours from poaching. And… Read More