“You don’t know what you don’t know.”

 

My lovely bride of 40+ years and I were born into a generation that, in many ways, simply didn’t know better. Like so many others, we accepted much of what we were taught about wildlife, zoos, and conservation without fully understanding the realities behind the experiences we enjoyed and supported. 

It wasn’t until we chose to pivot from careers in the corporate world and began volunteering and working within both an AZA-accredited zoo and a GFAS-accredited big cat sanctuary that we had the opportunity to see the world of captive wildlife from a very different perspective. Those experiences challenged long-held assumptions and empowered us to ask questions, seek evidence, and better understand the realities behind what is often presented as “captive conservation.”

That journey continues to shape my advocacy today. I remain a true believer that knowledge is empowering. My purpose is not to tell others what they should think or to suggest that there is always a simple “right” or “wrong” decision. Rather, it is to provide factual information, meaningful context, and lessons drawn from personal experience so that each of us can make the best decisions we can with the knowledge we have. If Keeping Wildlife Wild accomplishes anything, I hope it encourages people to remain curious, ask thoughtful questions, follow the evidence—and never stop being willing to learn.