And so there was a big uproar that the whales were stolen in the middle of the night, and they were absconded and off they went down to San Diego. And everybody got upset and people wanted to protest. And, of course, my staff was just, you know, they knew… Read More
And, at that time, I was gonna go off and do something different in my life because I thought, “Well, that’s it.” And the head person down San Diego asked me if I wanted to come and work for him in San Diego for SeaWorld. And I said, “Well, I’d… Read More
That was just part of the deal.” And he goes, “No, I don’t wanna do that.” About two days later, he called me and he says, “I’ve changed my mind.” And I said, “Well, why’d you change your mind?” And he says, “Because I knew you wouldn’t come If they… Read More
So my transitioned after 15 years to San Diego and then off to Orlando. And another 25 years slipped by and, bingo. Well, we have a couple more questions. (Brad laughs) moving Orky and Corky, you were in charge of this move. Moving Orky and Corky, I had moved dolphins… Read More
Now you were talking about that (indistinct). And you talked about different owners. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, they were the owner of SeaWorld ocean park family, they purchased Marineland in 1986. Read More
How did that affect anybody?… Read More
No big deal, or just another owner?… Read More
In the very beginning, the HBJ folks came in and were very nice and everything worked out out well. And the different curators came up from SeaWorld in San Diego and talked with us. And the first thing they said, “Well, we think we should move these two killer whales… Read More
So you had to make a compelling, not a story, but a compelling idea of why I was so important to do these different things and make it palatable so they could really get it and understand it. Because, to them, it cost money and they wanted to know why. Read More
Were you, during this time, you kind of talked a little about it, able to develop your professional growth, and how did you do it?… Read More
Was it just mainly through meeting colleagues?… Read More
It was, it was just mainly through meeting colleagues. The management style that I adopted, I didn’t go back to a management school or a management class. And they didn’t have those then. Or if they did, we certainly didn’t send anybody again. Again, I fashioned it a little bit… Read More
So there really was no change at the animal management level?… Read More
There was never really much animal management level changes. It was always fascinating, though, for me to look at the new management and find out who they were and how would I educate them on what we did. And I spent a lot of energy and time doing that, because… Read More
And I would be asked a question, for instance, well, why did we give clams to the walruses?… Read More
“It’s awful expensive.” And I said, “Well, you know, it’s expensive, but it’s part of their diet. It’s what they eat. And so I had to do a demonstration of how they crack the shells in the back of their teeth, suck it out like a sunflower seed and how… Read More
Why the name change, and what did that mean to you and the people who managed the animals?… Read More
Well, it’s interesting, we went through five different companies, I think, in the 15-year period. And people would always get really uptight about it and nervous and go, “Who’s the new owner, and what are they gonna do?” And I sort of took the approach, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll… Read More
And so I went to Amsterdam and I met a lot of beautiful people, great people. And, you know, there was a dolphinarium in there at Harderwijk. And we met other people from Europe and other aquariums and started sharing information. And then I started going to the International Marine… Read More
So I used to go to all these different meetings because, simply, I wanted to meet people and learn and again, ask them a bothersome question, “Why do you do that?” Are there new exhibits being contemplated or completed at Marineland during this time that you’re general curator, and are… Read More