Saturday, February 21, 2009
George P. Vierheller Director and Jules Jacot Wild Animal Trainer--St. Louis Zoo 1962
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Wade G. Burck
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A Blog designed for discussion of topics related to, but not limited to, Circus, Zoos, Animal Training, and Animal Welfare/Husbandry. Sometimes opening up the dialog is the best starting point of all. And if for nothing else when people who agree and don't agree, get together and start discussing it, it will open up a lot of peoples minds. Debate and discussion even amongst themselves opens a window where there wasn't one before.
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8 comments:
To paraphrase a famous Aussie - THATS a stick!!!!
Steve,
I believe that famous Aussie was Olivia Newton John, and "thats a stick!!!!" was what she said when she first met me.
Wade
Wade - Can't you Yanks spell?
I'm told that the word she used when she first met the Great Burck was "schtick". LOL
PS: By the way, Olivia Neutron Bomb is a Pom [Limey to you guys].
She's social climbing when she claims to be an Aussie.
For history buffs. Note the bars of the arena; it's a easy way to determine if Jacot photos were from his first tour or second of the STL Zoo. The lion's show name was King Solomon but we called him Pee Wee.
Jules' last show at STL was in 1969. The bars were removed, the first two rows of seats removed and a water moat added. My sea lion show opened (weakly) in 1970. Lots of memories just looking at that door.
Jim,
69 is an interesting year. What year did they stop the chimpanzee show?
Wade
I think the last chimp show was in 1982. Mike Kostial died in late August of 1976. There was talk of ending the show then but the chimp show was considered to be almost an institution in STL. They contracted with Greg and Carol Lille to present their act of four chimps. They enlarged and changed the act and stayed at the Zoo until 1982. The next two years I was requested to add a few young chimps to the sea lion act to wean the public of performing chimps. The two chimps I had were nice animals, did a few behaviors, and had a good time on stage playing -- then we did the sea lion act that had a future.
Jim,
Thank you. It is often suggested that the AR movement is a "recent" thing. I think that is wrong, and that it was coming heavy from the mid 60's. I suggest my industry was just real late in reacting to or accepting it. Not just in regards to animal training, but to animal husbandry in general. There was a great excitement in the zoo/circus/movie industry and the use of animals, that seemed to turn into " okay, enough is enough? Sea mammals would seem the safe bet momentarily.
Wade
Wade
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