Well, probably the biggest, the tallest ladder we all have to climb is the funding ladder. And the fact that that zoos are very labor intensive. They’re a 24 hour a day, seven day a week, 365 day a year business. And you don’t have income coming in more than,… Read More
But until someone has traveled in these countries where the “animals are free” and see what miserable conditions they live in and how their life is in danger all the time from either poachers or habitat encroachment, disease, drought, volcanoes, flooding, these are all things that animals in the wild… Read More
And if you can identify it in your opinion, what can be done to correct the problem?… Read More
And other people are, have a broad enough interest in learning other skill sets that they should pursue them and go on and become directors. Read More
What would you say is the largest professional problem facing US zoos today?… Read More
I think it has more to do with the long term aspiration of the individual veterinarian as to whether or not he wants to be bothered with all the other skill sets that he needs to develop to be a good director. He’s gotta have an interest in finances. He’s… Read More
What worked for you?… Read More
What do you want to tell vets who want to be directors, should veterinarians, zoo veterinarians, become zoo directors and why?… Read More
I’m probably a little prejudiced, but I think an animal person at the top with good business support and preferably someone who has at least a rudimentary knowledge of business before you can become a director, you should know how to read an expense statement and a balance sheet you… Read More
So would you say in your opinion is better to have a animal man at the top with a business person underneath them or business person at the top with an animal person underneath them?… Read More
You mentioned it about business, what are the pros and cons of the kind of new wave of zoo directors, a large number have more, non animal related backgrounds such as business administration?… Read More
What I said, I think the business education, however you get it is important, but I don’t think that you can only come in and expect to operate a zoo with nothing other than a business background, because animals are the main reason we have a zoo. And if animals… Read More
Conversely then what skill set qualities does a zoo director need today as compare to when you started. A better business background now, and it used to be that to be a zoo director, you almost had to be a biologist or as zoologist. You normally came up through the… Read More
You have to worry about roofing repair, about building repair, about automobiles, insurance, marketing, just anything in any other business you have to worry about. You have to worry about in a zoo plus the care of the animals. Read More
Well, they have so many more educational opportunities now. They have internships. They have residencies. They have externships. If you want to go into a zoo right now and be a zoo veterinarian, you have the opportunity to seek advanced education. We didn’t have that in the ’60s. The best… Read More
And what skillset qualities would you say a zoo veterinarian, ’cause you’ve been both worlds, needs today as compared to when you started?… Read More
What made you a good zoo director?… Read More
Being a consensus builder, realizing who our audience was realizing what it took to please our visitors, our children, that we were trying to educate, keeping close liaison with the board members, being aware politically, what was going on in the way of new laws and the way of fundraising… Read More
Basically the same made me a good veterinarian is the fact that I put the animals welfare first. I respected the animals. I wanted to do the very best we could by them. And if I didn’t know an answer either try and find someone that did, or in the… Read More
And so working closely with the people that were intimately involved in the animals on a day to day basis and being willing to say, “I don’t know,” and either get help from outside or do research. The internet has made that so much easier now. We can find things… Read More