Yes. We had an emergency plan for… We really wouldn’t have any fires out there. Everything was kind of isolated. But for hurricanes, yes. We had a plan. We went through who did what when, and where we went, and we listened to the different hurricane alerts. So we could… Read More
But mainly they were small and mainly reptiles. And then we had to regroup and get everything cleaned up. And that was really what started us seriously thinking about building a new zoo away from the ocean. Read More
So my wife got the kids together and the dog, and she went into town and got a motel room. And then the thing curved north. So she packed up the kids, went back home again, and that afternoon, the thing turned around and came back south. So it came… Read More
But then the next day they came and got us. Now that storm also broke loose, a barge that broke one of the bridges out at Key Biscayne so we couldn’t get home. Couldn’t get to the zoo. The army corps engineers came in and built a temporary bridge, a… Read More
1965, that was an interesting experience because I had a gallbladder attack in the summer of 1965 in fact two of them. And I went to see my physician and he said that… They did some tests and he said, “You’ve got gall bladder disease “and you’re gonna have to… Read More
What happened?… Read More
And then sewed her back up, put her back in the exhibit again with the male. But we took the baby home and hand raise it. And our kids especially were involved with hand raising it. They named it David Crockett (chuckles). I guess, partly because of the funny way… Read More
And then almost every evening we rode our bikes and we were so close to zoo. We just ride off to the zoo, ride around the zoo at night. That gave me another way to look at the animals out there. And of course there were little lakes and ponds… Read More
Well, my family was involved in one way in that the animals I brought home to bottle raise for instance, like a lion, and a tiger, and cheetah, puma. We had a marmoset. One of the problems I faced, veterinary problems I faced was a gelada baboon that we had… Read More
And so I saw that wasn’t working and I think maybe it’s a little better if you’re a little bit separated from the employees you work with. Read More
How involved was your family in your profession?… Read More
Well, I think there are two basic ways of managing an institution or managing a group of people. One is to be a good old boy, be a friend with all of them and slap them on the back and go out drinking with them, and whatever. The other one… Read More
How would you describe your management style?… Read More
I made daily rounds to all exhibits and talked to as many of the keepers as I could find. And I tried to keep track of everything that was going on. I think it’s important that if you’re gonna manage something, you gotta get out there and see what’s going… Read More
So that was when I did take on the medical examiner and we looked through it and sent tissues off the CDC and they finally decided it died from a distemper virus. But it just very suddenly overcame it and killed it. It had been vaccinated, so it was a… Read More
Did you make daily rounds as zoo director?… Read More
Oh no. We solicited an interest in them. Actually this millionaire, Ralph Scott was very active in the zoo society and with the zoo. Had mentioned that he might be able to get these animals. And we said, sure by all means. And of course then the white tiger was… Read More
And I think that all gave us a new perspective on things too. We’re gonna talk a little bit more about those particular subjects. But let me go back to the zoo society for a minute. You mentioned a white tiger, and you mentioned rhinoceros, Indian rhinoceros. Read More
Was that animals that you as you’re director were soliciting an interest in or did they just arrive in your doorstep?… Read More
And he could crush against the wall, or against the floor or whatever. And it was just a disaster waiting to happen. We were horrified when we saw it, we told him. They must have changed him since the (indistinct). ‘Cause I haven’t heard of anybody gotten killed up there… Read More