The Elephant Man

In the world of zookeeping, Charles “Chuck” Doyle is, well, something of a rock star. A native Syracusan, he began working at the then city-owned Burnet Park Zoo in 1976, initially as an animal keeper and night watchman. Doyle eventually developed a particular bond with the zoo’s Asian elephant, Siri, and he was promoted to senior keeper in 1982. His approach to elephant care laid the groundwork for the Asian elephant exhibit—and successful breeding program—that now exists. It also made Doyle highly sought after as a consultant for other elephant programs in the United States.

When he became director of the facility—since renamed the Rosamond Gifford Zoo—in 2006 after 13 years as general curator, Doyle, 61, was determined that administrative tasks would not disrupt his commitment to the welfare of the animals and close relationship with staff. In ways large and small, Doyle has had a hand in many of the projects that have taken the zoo from a small, city park collection to one of Onondaga County’s best-loved attractions and home to about 700 animals.

Although he had been a full-time employee for just a year when the county agreed to take over the zoo from the city in 1979, Doyle believes the transfer of ownership was ultimately best for the animals. By 1987, the zoo received accreditation from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums for its commitment to ecology, education and animal care. Less than 10 percent of all animal exhibit facilities in the United States currently have this accreditation, and the Rosamond Gifford Zoo’s was reaffirmed in 1996.

The zoo’s partnership with the Rosamond Gifford Charitable Corporation, established with a $2 million endowment in 1999, helps fund the zoo’s extensive education mission. Doyle is clearly pleased with the fact that these programs offer visitors not just an entertaining experience, but an intellectually stimulating one as well.

“For a zoo our size, we were lucky enough to have an endowment that will ensure that our education program will go on forever,” Doyle says. “They engage people in so many different ways, on so many different levels that, while I can’t quantify how much of a difference we are making, I know we are.”

Today’s 43-acre facility is worlds away from the eight acres of metal cages that Doyle visited as a boy. And while he is certainly proud of the strides the zoo has made on his watch, he is also quick to credit the keepers and other behind-the-scenes laborers who keep things running 362 days a year (it’s closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day). Doyle describes the zoo staff as “a real family” and he has maintained an open-door policy during his time as director.

As with any family, relationships have been tested. In 2006, just as Doyle was settling in as director, a baby elephant wandered into a wading pool and died as a result of complications. The zoo’s breeding program and handlers came under scrutiny, but Doyle was steadfast in his defense. With the Asian Elephant Preserve, set to open June 30, the zoo hopes to reaffirm its reputation for having one of the premier Asian elephant programs in the country.

Doyle officially retired late last year, but agreed to stay in his role on a part-time basis until his successor is named. He recently spoke with The New Times about his history with the zoo, his love of elephants, and his hopes for the future.

Q : You retired last year, but have been staying on until a new director is named. How has that process been going?

A : It’s moving along. We have no announcements to make.

Q : After so many years and so many experiences here, the decision to retire couldn’t have been an easy one.

A : It was a very difficult decision to make. I got into the business because I so enjoyed being around the animals. Not so much do I do that as director of the zoo. The majority of my time is spent on administrative work—which I enjoy—but it’s not my passion. Also, it’s good to get new blood into a facility. Change for change is not always good, but it can be a very good thing.

Q: Is there a period or an accomplishment that you can point to as something you’re most proud of?

A : I loved being the senior keeper of elephants. I was fortunate to hold that position for a number of years, and it gave me the opportunity to be in on the decision-making processes for not only our collection, but nationwide, and still work hands-on with the animals. To me, that’s the best job in the county.

Q : Why? What is it about those elephants?

A : Take a look at them! {Just then, one of the zoo’s largest residents makes herself known outside Doyle’s office.} I don’t know anybody who is not fascinated by elephants, whether it’s their size, or their unique nose, their intelligence—everything. Animal behavior is a fascinating subject, no matter what the species. I just happened to fall into being able to work with elephants. As I came through the various animal departments, I would fall in love with each of them. So, animal behavior is a great field to be in. You learn so much about everything through watching and observing their behavior.

Q : Is that what you hope to impart to visitors?

A: I think it’s summed up best in our mission statement—I’m a firm believer in it. It says: “The mission of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park is to conserve, exhibit and interpret a living animal collection in order to promote public recreation.” Come have fun while you’re here—absolutely!—but also to give visitors an understanding of the relationship between animals and people, and action to sustain the environment we share. To sum it up, we have our tagline: “We want to bring you close enough to care.”

Q : I know you like to walk around the zoo and talk with visitors. In your conversations, do you feel that message is getting through?

A : Not as much as I’d like, frankly. You hear a lot of great things. People love the zoo. But some of the things that make me the proudest is to watch some kid who has come to the zoo, and see that we’ve changed them. Early on in my career, when I was a senior keeper, we had a girl who joined the zoo as a youngster, went through internships and then summer work, and she’s a veterinarian now. She makes a big difference. We know we had a big impact on her life. I love to see things like that.

We don’t expect everyone who comes through to want to work with animals, but if we can make them care enough, we can make them into conservationists, environmentalists, and to protect the planet. That’s the real goal, and it’s hard to quantify. But we hope we’re making an impact on people as they go through.

Q : Has it been difficult to maintain a balance between the entertainment aspect of the zoo and your desire to put animal welfare and education first?

A : I don’t believe so. If you watch any of our educational demonstrations or shows, it’s the same thing. We’re not going to be able to get anyone to pay attention if we’re not a little entertaining. The zoo is a fun place; it’s got to be a fun place. But, it doesn’t have to be exclusively fun. There is an educational message, a conservation message in everything we do.

Q : I would imagine the people who come here are more informed, and are looking for something a little different than the average visitor would have, say, 30 years ago. 

A: Absolutely. And with the new social media and everything else, it makes our jobs harder. It doesn’t make it more difficult to have the educational message in the forefront, the hard part is figuring out what it is we need to tell our guests. It is difficult to find a message that can impart some knowledge. It is great that people can use all these different media to get that knowledge. But, if you know about it, and don’t care about it, you’re not going to do anything about it.

That’s why I love our catchphrase: “Bringing you close enough to care.” Because if you care about elephants, or you care about wood ducks, then you’re going to care about the environment and do your small part to protect it. I don’t care if a kid comes in here, listens to the elephant demonstration, and doesn’t know how many muscles are in an elephant’s trunk, or how long they can live. That information is gravy. But if they come away and care that the elephants are here and in the wild, then we’ve met out mission. Hopefully we can provide them some means to act on that.

Q : How has your experience as a keeper, and curator, helped you in your role as director?

A: Well, I think one of the things that a good administrator needs is a very good, basic understanding of all the jobs, all the responsibilities, all the pitfalls of those jobs. As director of the zoo, I work for everybody at this zoo. If I don’t know and fully understand what their needs are, then I can’t provide the means for them to do their job. People say, “Oh, Chuck, great job up there.” But it’s not me. It’s all the keepers, and the labor crew people who keep the place clean: Those are the people who are doing a great job up here. My job is to provide the materials and staffing and everything else for them to be able to do that great job.

Q: What has surprised you most about being in this administrative role?

A: It’s a great thing working for a smaller zoo. I’ve had opportunities to see and work in various capacities with other zoos, and it was a lot of fun, but when it came to be lunchtime, you’d go into the cafeteria, and the group I was with would know about a third of the people in there. In this setting, we’re on a firstname basis and we know everybody. I’m not saying that everybody loves everybody and gets along all the time—that’s not reality. But it is family, it truly is. Having this smaller family makes it special.

The image of the zookeeper has also changed a lot. Zoo people are looked at in a better frame than they were in the past. I remember when I’d be out there picking up my life’s work {laughs} and I’d hear parents say, “See, if you don’t study, that’s what you’re gonna do.” People now are starting to understand. Many of my zookeepers here are college educated. They are still very underpaid, I will be the first to say, for what is expected of them. There are labor aspects to their job—I mean an elephant defecates 200 pounds a day. They’ve got to pick it up and move it.

Then, they are also professionals because they have to be able to read that elephant, know what’s going on. They have to be the eyes for the veterinarian so they can say, “I think this elephant is off. Look at this.” My penguin keepers keep a chart on every penguin, and they can tell you how much each penguin—and we have 40 penguins right now—ate every day for its entire life. We track, we know these animals. Zookeeping is a profession, plain and simple.

Q: Will you stay involved in a volunteer role?

A: I don’t see myself ever leaving the zoo. After 35 years, I just don’t see myself ever leaving.

Q: The zoo’s Asian elephant program is renowned. But there have been concerns raised from animal rights activists who question the wisdom of keeping then in cold, Northeastern climates. Three of your elephants {Targa, Mali and Little Chuck} are currently staying at Ontario’s African Lion Safari until the new Asian Elephant Preserve is completed. Since the welfare of the elephants is such a passion for you, how do you respond to those concerns?

A : They have their agendas; I’ve given you what our agenda is. If I engage these people, it just gives them more fodder. I don’t think they have much to say. The majority of these people are very well intended, but they give out false information. The African Lion Safari has one of the most successful breeding programs in North America. That’s why we picked that place, because they are so good at what they do. I’ve taken care of elephants up here for 35 years, and not once have we had a health problem related to temperature.

Going back to people’s concerns about winter, we’re a small zoo, so we can’t have all the beautiful mega-environments that the big zoos have. People say all the time, “You should get giraffes.” I’ve taken care of giraffes in my career. They’re the coolest animal in the world, but I’ll never have them again—at least not as long as I’m director or have any influence, because they’re not built to walk on ice and snow. I don’t think it would be fair to them. We take those things into consideration when we’re doing our collection plan.

Q: You’re in the midst of a large capital campaign for the completion of the Elephant Preserve and the new Primate Park. What’s the biggest challenge in managing the financial responsibility of the zoo?

A: We have a great partnership with Friends of the Zoo {a non-profit, support organization formed in 1970 to oversee fundraising}. They do the majority of that work. We try to help them in any way we can, but I’m a county employee. I’m not majorly involved in the fundraising aspect, but we understand that in order to have the kind of facility that we have, we need not just county support, but we need their support too. Every dollar outside of their operating cost comes right back here to the zoo. So, it doesn’t take too much to get psyched to raise money for your own agenda.

But on the flip side, the county, as everybody knows, is just like every other municipality: Times are tough. So, you look at a broken hose and say, “Well, I can buy you a repair kit for $4 or a new hose for $40.” It’s pretty easy to figure out what we’re going to do.

One of the things we’re very proud of here is waste not-want not. We’re environmentalists, conservationists. We don’t want to waste resources, whether they’re natural resources or financial resources. We wouldn’t be building these new exhibits during these hard times if it wasn’t for commitment from the county government, Friends of the Zoo and the community. That’s very rewarding to me, for people to realize what a jewel they have here and know that they have to invest in it to keep it one of the best.

Q: What is your prediction for the zoo’s future as you get ready to pass it on?

A: I see great things. If you take a look just since I’ve been general curator and then director, the advancements this zoo has made: the education, the front as you walk in, the banquet facilities, the Friends have grown so much. We built the Carrier Conservation Center, which includes classrooms. We built a tiger exhibit, the penguin exhibit, Primate Park; we’re finishing the Asian Elephant Preserve.

That’s a ton to have accomplished. I’m not saying I’ve done all of it, but I’ve been a part of it. I don’t think we’re ever going to be done. We’re not going to continually ask for huge things. There’s been a lot of little things done that have been funded jointly by the county and the Friends of the Zoo. The ocelot exhibit was beautifully done; it didn’t cost the taxpayers a dime—not one dime. I have to say, I feel we’re leaving this zoo better than it was. I look forward to coming back and seeing it better than it is.