Usually as we develop the program, we would go to the zoo at least two days a week with students. And then we had clinics where we accepted animals at the university at the same time. But in addition to the Sacramento Zoo, we had the Mickey Grove Zoo, which… Read More
Now during that time, how were veterinarians communicating with one another and sharing information?… Read More
How was that done over that initial thing when you started at the Sacramento Zoo and you were doing this tour and you were meeting people, how did you communicate?… Read More
Well, that’s an interesting challenge because communication is the key to success in any operation, whether it’s a zoo or a business or anything like that. And the challenge was that they weren’t communicating. A few veterinarians had met in the early 1940s at the AVMA meeting, and they shared… Read More
And I find that’s a very challenging situation. Always. You were an on-call veterinarian at the Sacramento Zoo. Read More
Well, it certainly was self-teaching in the sense that I had a lot to learn, but in terms of going to other zoos, yes, I did a good deal of that. In fact, early on probably the year after I became involved, I took a six-week tour of the United… Read More
And I guess that has been a… A characteristic of my career is I’m not ashamed of learning from other people, in fact, I may be even accused of plagiarizing other people, particularly when I write about it, I try to give credit for where I’ve learned these things, ’cause… Read More
Well, I guess, and today’s standards, it wasn’t a zoo, it was simply a collection of animals, menagerie. And the animals who are being fed, they were in very small enclosures and there were limited numbers of animals, although we had lions, we had black buck antelope. Eventually we even… Read More
And again, working with townspeople and keepers, we didn’t even have curators at that point in time. And over a period of time, several different directors. And again, I like zoo people. And so that was a very enjoyable thing. Now you started to… You were starting as this veterinarian… Read More
Did you start to give yourself exposure to other zoos by visiting them to see what was going on?… Read More
And if you did, was it again, this self-teaching?… Read More
And he built that up to a point where he had a lot of different animals. It was a place where animals that were confiscated from various sundry agencies could go and then ultimately went through various directors. He just, he was a pioneer, not schooled in care of animals,… Read More
And when it comes over the side of the pool, we’ll surround it and it will jump back in and go to the island.” And it did. I’m proud of the fact that I was able to listen to him and understand some animal behavior. So animal behavior became an… Read More
What kind of zoo did you find in ’67?… Read More
(indistinct) You were teaching, you had horse experience and you’re teaching zoo medicine, but did you have any idea that part of your career would be actually working in the zoo?… Read More
Not until I started doing it. And tell me about how you began doing it. Read More
How did that Sacramento thing come about and get cemented in?… Read More
Well, as I mentioned, the dean wanted to a wildlife person, and I guess I initiated the actual zoo portion of it because I knew that I couldn’t supply the practical experience for students and I wanted a place where that could happen. And so I approached the people having… Read More
Well, I would assume so. I guess it’s an interesting situation. I have a difficulty remembering names, and my mother used to tell me that you don’t remember names because you don’t like people. And I take exception to that because I do like people, I’ve liked people all over… Read More
Did you know Will Rogers?… Read More