| "This picture reminds me of my Big Apple days at nearby Lincoln Center where I housed my elephants in containers like these for three months each winter." Buckles |
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Bill Snyder (From Joey Ratliff)
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When my father started to buy animals in the 1950's for pit shows he got to know a gentleman in New York named Henry Trefflich. I believe at one time or another Mr Trefflich imported every kind of critter imaginable. When we would visit him in the 1960's he kept most of his animals in New Jersey, however as I understood it for many years the Central Park Zoo was indeed where he housed larger hoofstock, and I have a clear memory of a picture of Mr Trefflich with, I believe, a black rhino and two grim keepers in a paddock in the zoo. For those who never saw it, the Central Park Zoo was tightly crowded prior to its rebuild in the early 1980's. I remember that Mr Dougherty, who was General Curator in the Bronx when I worked there at the time of the Central Park redesign was absolutely delighted that some of those old enclosures were finally meeting the wrecking ball, as generations of animals had passed through there with no pretense of quarantine. Now it's twenty-five years later and I wonder if the WCS would handle the remodel in the same fashion. The old zoo had a certain historical charm and think the Staten Island Zoo's success in in the 1980's retaining some of the old while modifying the collection to make the space work. One thing I never quite understood when I was a zookeeper was why we were always so embarrassed by history, and especially associations with animal dealers. I remember when one zoo where I worked acquired some lovely Siamangs from Asia, the fact that they'd actually been purchased in a monkey meat market. Sometimes the end really does justify some of the means. And the success of species survival plans speaks to that. Why we let PETA and its ilk dictate the rules when it comes to importing anything as vulnerable as mountain gorillas, or even locality specific elephants is beyond my understanding. I look at those pictures of Amy's baby and thank God for importation, because it's a viable hedge against extinction.
Mr. Trumble,
I totally agree on keeping some of the "old" archtecture, and incorporating it into new design's, and feature's for historical purposes. But much of the current breeding success was brought about by the enactment of various endangered species act's, regulation's, and guidelines. I remember when gorillas were "impossible" to breed in captivity. They became easier, when you could no longer buy as many babies as you needed for 500.00 and up. The wonderful effort's to breed elephant's also is a relativly new endevour, once they couldn't be imported by the boatload. Reptile's, bird's, anphibian's, as well as mammal's, have all benifited, in the long run by the enforcement of neccessary regulation.
Wade Burck
Agreed absolutely. I just wouldn't want to erase the history of the Hagenbecks, or Hornadays, or Lee Crandalls who laid the ground the ground work for present successes over a hundred year span of innovation, experimentation, and partnership with people out in the field.
Ben,
I have amassed an extensive collection of "zoological park" material over the years, in particular Hagenbeck's, (letter's to animal dealer, in particular). As a young boy, the Hagenbeck's, Crandell's, Buck's etc. fueled my passion and dream's to work with wild animal's. Studying the history of these inovative men, is a great learning tool, and aid's in understanding. Understanding the good, as well as the not so good. If we become to bound by tradition, we will stop innovaiting, coming up with better method's, and new way's of improving. Horse trainer's were called "Bronc Buster's", and wild animal trainer's were called "Subjugator's". Today the end result is the same, but the method's of accomplising the result's, changed greatly. Civil War surgeon's used to amputate limb's with whiskey and a bone saw. It was "state-of-the-art" back then, and we learned from it, but today it is frowned upon, as we have taken what we learned and made it better. Wade Burck
Wade. When I was a kid I loved those zoo/circus based books, though even then many of them were old. The Buck books, of course, and the Beatty books -- but also the many books by Raymond Ditmars, or Helen Martini's book on her years working with cats and apes in the Bronx. Those were the books that led to wanting to really learn about behavior and captive biology from Heini Hediger, or to understand the physiology of restraint based on Murray Fowler's stuff. Wonderful body of literature.
Ben and Wade. the things you don't know...I know you good gentlemen through circus; I had no idea of your contact with and interest in zoos, although there is certainly an understandable correlation. As I mentioned on this great blog before, I grew up about two miles from the Bronx Zoo and made regular trips there and to Central Park Zoo as well. To see names like Lee s. Crandall, Raymond Ditmars, and Helen Martini
brought back wonderful memories.
I remember as a child seeing Helen
Martini bottle feed lions and tigers in a cage in the old Lion House. Her book, "My Zoo Family"
is a wonderful read for any young person/animal lover. Her husband, Fred, started out as a jeweler and ended up retiring as head keeper at the Lion House. I still keep in touch with Jim Dougherty and Bill Conway. I thank you gentlemen for your comments which informed me of some things I did not know.
Buckles, I'm not trying to hide; I just sent you some comments about the Bronx and Central Park Zoos and forgot to sign my name which is...let me check with my wife...oh, yes,
Paul Gutheil
Anonymous,
As long as your comment was nice, you are allowed to have no name. Yes, the names Dougherty and Conway are "legendary" in the zoo field, and much was learned from their field work and studies. In my mind, the name Conway will alway's be synonomous with WCS and their great body of work in animal conservation. The next time you correspond with them, thank them for their dedication, in making this a brighter world, for the future.
Best regard, Wade Burck
P.S. An autographed William Conway magazine cover is a cherished part of my collection.
Wade Burck
Paul, what I remember best about the Ditmars books as a kid was that no matter how grave the situation, Dr Ditmars never seemed to utter an expletive stronger than "Great Scott!" I found that to be particularly suspect when Ditmars was curator of both mammals and reptiles and the zoo had an elephant named Alice who like to take a walk whenever she got a chance, and who I heard had been a rather ill tempered bull. Years later I met Arthur Greenleaf, who as a young man had accompanied Ditmars and William Bridges on a zoo sponsored collecting trip to Central America. Mr. Greenleaf assured me that Ditmars, a former newspaper reporter, was in fact armed with a wide and colorful vocabulary and never once, say, confronted with an open box of large venomous snakes wasted his breath with "Great Scott!"
Paul,
Don't take Diane's word for it. Ask somebody else.
Merry Christmas, Wade Burck
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