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Researcher Credited With Helping To Improve The Lives Of Animals At Zoos To Speak On South Coast

Humbolt Penguins at Santa Barbara Zoo

For decades, zoos were often rows of small, cramped cement cages where animals were kept in prison cell like conditions.

A researcher, and former Atlanta Zoo President who’s speaking on the South Coast Thursday night is credited with helping to change that culture, and create more natural environments for animals.

In 1984, Dr. Terry Maple, a noted Georgia Tech animal behaviorist and zoo expert, was asked by Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young to take the reins of the city’s troubled zoo.

The zoo was considered to be one of the worst in the nation. Maple was brought on as interim zoo director, but quickly started major reforms. It gave him the venue to test his ideas on how animals could be better housed, and treated. He believed the exhibit areas needed to better mimic the natural habitat for the animals. The zoo, which was rebranded as Zoo Atlanta, became a showcase for a state of the art facility. But, Maple says the reforms extended past the enclosures. He says it’s important to do more than just care for the animals, but to work towards their overall wellness.

Some zoos have come under fire in recent years for their exhibits, and even the general concept of zoos in general. The Los Angeles Zoo went through years of controversy over its elephant exhibit, eventually winning a lawsuit allowing it to remain open.

Maple says while he understands the concerns, he feels a properly built and run zoo can provide a healthy environment for animals, especially ones which are endangered in the wild. He says for some endangered species which have lost much of their natural habitats, zoo captive breeding programs are critical in prevent their extinction.

Maple is a past president of the national Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and is a respected zoo consultant. He says in the future, some zoos will close, because they don’t have necessary support, but that good ones will remain and evolve.

Maple will speak at the Santa Barbara Zoo Thursday night, focusing on some of his research into gorilla behavior. The 7:30 p.m. event will be followed by “Improv-ology”, a live improv comedy event based on the researcher’s talk.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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