For instance, I mentioned the southern black rhino originally would probably not be in existence now were it not for the International Rhino Foundation. This is one program that the Zoo and Aquarium Association decided they didn’t want to have as a species survival plan any longer. And so they… Read More
During your time as director at the zoo, did you have to deal with animal rights groups?… Read More
When I was president of AZA, the administration before me, primarily through the work of Ed Moraaco and Dennis Merrit had come up with the idea of having species survival plans to have zoos work together and pool their resources to save individual species. And that had already been set… Read More
During your career as director, what would you consider to be one of, or some major events that affected zoos in general and affected Gladys Porter Zoo?… Read More
And you’ve held this position of working with the organization, the international organization for a while, haven’t you?… Read More
Yeah, I’m one of the original signers of the International Rhino Foundation and I still am secretary of their board, although I try to resign and they haven’t let me. So we we’ll see how long that goes. Read More
Yes, we have programs in India, Sumatra, Java and in several countries in Africa, Zimbabwe, South Africa and maybe a Botswana. We just translocated within the last month, 10 rhinos from South Africa into Botswana and Botswana rhinos had been totally wiped out. So now Botswana can say they have… Read More
The numbers of black and white rhinos now are, they were improving and increasing over the last few years, but they’re having their problems now with poaching. There’s a rhino poached in Africa every eight hours now. And it takes a heck of breeding program to keep this flow positive. Read More
Now, has the International Rhino Foundation by its name done work in the countries where rhinos are found?… Read More
Did they have to press you into service and has it had some value in the conservation for the zoo?… Read More
No one has to press me into service for conservation project if I think that I can be benefit. And then in this case, I thought not so much for my expertise with rhinos, but because I knew the cast of players that had to work together to do it,… Read More
Were these positions ones that you felt you could make a difference in?… Read More
And how did you make that decision?… Read More
We have rhinos, but we’ve always had white rhinos. We didn’t, and don’t have enough land to provide enough space to do a large rhino group. One of the mistakes that the Valley’s Logical Society made when they established the Gladys Porter Zoo was to build us in an area… Read More
And I don’t think this sat real well with the powers to be in the zoo association at the time. And I was one of the recent past presidents of the association. And so I think they sort of thought that I’d maybe gone over to the other side, which… Read More
Did you want also Gladys Porter Zoo to specialize in rhinos as part of this endangered species?… Read More
I could recognize that there needed to be some help to get the ranchers and the zoo people together. And I was uniquely situated in that I knew the ranchers and I knew the zoo people. I knew they both were good groups, and I thought that it could work. Read More
And did you want to get involved or did they truly press you into service?… Read More
And how difficult was the situation that you found yourself in?… Read More
So they are still on some of these animals or they’re progeny are still on Texas zoos. Yes. Primarily the main one that, that has them now is, and they don’t wanna be named because they don’t want people to know where rhinos are for fear there will be some… Read More