Zoophoria!

The Story of the Modern Conservation Zoological Park as Told by its Leaders

"As a past interviewee for Zoophoria, I believe it to be a very valuable and factual documentation of the passion and commitment of the many fine people that are involved in zoo-based conservation. Over the past 20-30 years, accredited zoological parks have undergone a transformation from historical menageries to active participants in the global conservation community. Zoophoria is a great testimonial to this conservation revolution."

Rick Barongi

Former Director, Houston Zoo

Team Fiona: A Conversation with Christina Gorsuch, Curator of Mammals at the Cincinnati Zoo

After spending time at three other zoos, Christina Gorsuch became Curator of Mammals at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2015. She oversees the care and husbandry of a wide variety of animals from lions to black rhinoceroses to Asian elephants to Mexican wolves to African wild dogs. However, soon Gorsuch would become most associated with hippos when she became social media famous as Coach of Team Fiona, the animal care team responsible for caring for the zoo's prematurely born hippo. He

Taking on the Zoo on the Bay: A Conversation with David Anderson, Retired Director of the San Franci

David Anderson's career in zoos paralleled their growing involvement in saving species, first with the development of Species Survival Plans to build sustainable populations of endangered species in human care and later with growing contributions to field projects. After serving as General Curator at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, Anderson spent fourteen years at the helm of the San Francisco Zoo. Among his accomplishments there were privatizing the zoo, getting a $40 millio

Exhibits Are Like Movies: A Conversation with Ace Torre, CEO and Principal of Torre Design Consortiu

For the last four decades, Ace Torre and his firm Torre Consortium have been household names in the zoo design industry. He has become renowned for his innovative habitat designs often incorporating strong cultural, architectural and historical themes. Notably, Torre master planned designed most of the key exhibits at the Audubon Zoo, the Memphis Zoo, the Lowry Park Zoo and the Virginia Zoo. Here is his story. @ Torre Consortium Torre started out in city planning with a stron

Arizona Center for Nature Conservation: A Conversation with Bert Castro, President/CEO of the Phoeni

Bert Castro has become recognized as a leader in the zoo field for his exemplary leadership at both the Oklahoma City and Phoenix Zoos. While in Oklahoma City from 2001 to 2008, he oversaw the development of Oklahoma Trails, the largest expansion in the zoo’s history up to that time. Since arriving in Phoenix in 2008, Castro has overseen several capital projects and has helped boost the zoo’s reputation. Here is his story. @ Phoenix Zoo Bert grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and oft

Wildlife Paradise in the Louisiana Bayou: A Conversation with Ron Forman, CEO of Audubon Nature Inst

Ron Forman is the longest tenured director of any zoo in the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums, having run the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans for over 40 years. Not only did he turn Audubon into a fantastic zoo but he also helped create the Audubon Nature Institute, which includes the zoo, aquarium, several nature centers and even a wildlife research and breeding center in collaboration with San Diego Zoo Global. Forman’s tenure at Audubon is one of the ultimate zoo succ