Interview 26791 – Caption Index: 745
And it was like such good news but then we were so nervous, should we touch it?… Read More
And it was like such good news but then we were so nervous, should we touch it?… Read More
Wow, look, bottom line, we had two pairs that were close to one another in different habitats, and they were vocalizing back and forth, which I think was the biggest part of the stimulation. The pair that produced were in about an acre-and-a-half netted-in pond. That was, you know, pretty… Read More
So yeah, I enjoy it. It’s a creative process that I think is just, is very enriching. Read More
We’ve talked about different animals now, what would you say was the secret in Tampa for the birth of the shoebill stork?… Read More
And there’s other people that can answer that question. I’m just, there’s where the door should be. Read More
You know, I get a little crazy when they want to do, so which way should the door swing?… Read More
You figure out how it should swing, you know?… Read More
And the other thing we’re learning, which I found very interesting, and both San Diego and Tampa participated in different studies about the amount of heat that we are bringing into these exhibits due to the gunite, the amount of radiated heat that comes off of that and what it… Read More
I think the other focus that I have is the behind-the-scenes housing and how we can improve those areas from basically concrete and steel to what else can we do to make it more comfortable for the animal?… Read More
‘Cause they spend, you know, good part of their day back there too. It’s their bedroom. So when it comes to Tampa, there’s few more hurdles because of hurricanes. We have to be careful what we’re building and how we’re building them. But the process I enjoy, I enjoy master… Read More
Can you talk about the philosophy you may have regarding exhibit design?… Read More
My philosophy, you know, I’m always looking for the more space, the better. I want to maximize space. And sometimes that’s a battle depending on the footprint of the particular part of the facility we’re working with. I love aesthetics and I think it’s fantastic to be able to frame… Read More
Really learned how to negotiate with the Chinese on things, the dos and don’ts. But the pandas were certainly the icon of all of this and kind of handled separately than the other animals that we were dealing with. But, you know, bottom line is the final resolve to acquiring… Read More
So it started off kind of like, you know, a one-off, let’s see what happens, to a long-term animal management program, which, you know, now, it’s coming back around again one more time. I mean, all the animals went back to China and now they’re starting to come back out… Read More
Yes. So first acquisition was a temporary acquisition. They were there for three or four months I think. And then I think it was a combination of US Fish and Wildlife and AZA said, we gotta stop this or do long-term loans. And so that’s changed the entire philosophy around. Read More
But, you know, a lot of money spent but everybody bought into it, you know?… Read More
He wasn’t the lone ranger out there just spending money and everybody else had to figure it out. He had to get justification for all that and did, he was a very convincing person though. Read More
Can you talk about San Diego and giant pandas?… Read More
Oh yeah, without question, but not the negative collector part. He was always looking as to what’s gonna benefit the zoo ultimately by this acquisition. And you know, he could justify all that. He had to justify a lot of it because if we exceeded our budget, we had to… Read More
There’s no question about it. And sometimes it’s just not meant to be, you gotta move on. Read More