Two at the Zoo

Rafa and Joe G take the show on the road -- and before departing for OKC with the Cavaliers, the fellas sat down with Executive Director of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Dr. Christopher Kuhar, to discuss their halftime act aspirations.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
He loves over the wigans back it goes to Thomson.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Tomson fire Yays have said they.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Want to support threes that seas move the ball, better
move Bonnie Scarlett off the Mitchell Mitchell got it.

Speaker 3 (00:31):
Kevil is on the move.

Speaker 4 (00:33):
Broadcasting live is from Rocket Mortgage field House on the
sunny shores of Beautiful Lake Erie.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Lat Enna.

Speaker 5 (00:41):
Pristan Thomson Thompson, I'm not gonna downtown Cleveland.

Speaker 6 (00:54):
Hello.

Speaker 4 (00:55):
Hello, you've tuned in to Wine and Gold Radio. No,
you're your host Rafa and Joji.

Speaker 7 (01:10):
Whoa y Hey everybody should we say, yeah, we are
in Oklahoma City. Yeah, but because my politan, I am
Joji sitting directly across from me on the.

Speaker 8 (01:26):
Other side of the aisles.

Speaker 7 (01:30):
Bito, do you vote today? By the way, I didn't.
I didn't wear my little sticker.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
I never do that. I did it like I put
it on.

Speaker 7 (01:37):
And then I looked at myself in the mirror, and I'm.

Speaker 9 (01:38):
Like, nah, I posted one like I forget when it
was like necessary for people, even for me to tell people.

Speaker 3 (01:45):
To go out and vote.

Speaker 9 (01:46):
Yeah, I posted my I voted sticker. But whether or not,
I just you did vote?

Speaker 7 (01:51):
All right?

Speaker 3 (01:51):
Of course, to get kidding.

Speaker 9 (01:53):
That is one of the things that we as immigrants
look forward to when we come to this country and
become citizen because we all mostly come from countries where
election day it's like, I put your life on the
line kind of thing that you can get shot while
waiting in line to vote. So for us, this is
like a shock to me at least, that is not

(02:13):
a bigger day in this country, you know, I know,
the league is kind of like, you know, no games
scheduled for today with you know, when we're recording, But
it's not really like something that like the fact that
you have to go out and promote and get people
to go out of vote.

Speaker 3 (02:27):
You'll get a free.

Speaker 7 (02:28):
Coffege people, right, Yeah, So that should be that should
be a day we take for granted some of the
some of the liveries.

Speaker 9 (02:33):
And that's one of the things that we as immigrant
also suffer that we kind of fall into that taking
for granted all the things that we have now that
we didn't have before we came to this country.

Speaker 3 (02:43):
So voting for me is always a special thing.

Speaker 7 (02:46):
They should make it a day off, and what they
should do is combine voting day and the day after
the super Bowl and just make that a national house. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (02:54):
Not many people who go for the hangover right right.

Speaker 7 (02:58):
Anyway, we are checking in from Okay. So the first
the first leg of the four game West Coast trip.
It's going to be an eventful one. I just finished
a book that was said in Oklahoma City. I just
looked around. Yeah, what was it? Called The Dirty White Boys.
It was by Stephen Miller. He's about escape convicts. You
like you like fiction or you like real I only
do fiction.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
Really, I'm the other way around. I like I like
to read reals.

Speaker 7 (03:22):
A lot of people are, but I only do fiction.
I only do fiction and bad dudes. That's kind of my.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
Do you ever?

Speaker 9 (03:28):
And I know you just I just kind of recommend
a book to you that you don't like real stuff.
But there was the name of the dude that was
behind Ted couple in in Nightline and he Jenn No
and he was he's a writer and he to write
about baseball. I forget his name. He's from ABC. Well
we continue all that. George Will Yeah, he has a

(03:49):
book on baseball and it's a really really all his
books are really good.

Speaker 7 (03:54):
Throw any Republican stuff in there? Does he no?

Speaker 9 (03:57):
I don't think it has anything to do with politics.
It's more just like him as a baseball fan writing.

Speaker 7 (04:02):
We speaking of baseball. You, I've talked to you many
times about being a podcast mercenary that you are. You're
like a gun for hire, You're a gun for her
like and I see you on Booby wearing the big hats. Yeah,
and like we have want to Go radio and all
its power have made changes. I okay, And the big

(04:24):
change I am one institute now is I want the
team shop to sell those big do they do?

Speaker 3 (04:30):
Are you already?

Speaker 9 (04:31):
Hold on a second? Hold on one second, but don't
show anything. It's a bit no, no, no, I'm not showing anything.
I'm looking for the right You understand why I'm looking for.

Speaker 7 (04:39):
I want to get one of those big, puffy style
foam hats.

Speaker 9 (04:43):
I spoke to the senior I spoke to the senior
vice president and chief marketing officer of the Cleveland Cavaliers,
Chris Kaiser, and I told him that we both will
be willing to be models for the big hat to go.

Speaker 3 (04:55):
Yeah. They do sell them at the team shop. You do, yeah?

Speaker 9 (04:57):
And I said we would like to wear them. I
want and all ready we would like to be modeled.
Were like, take my money, you know.

Speaker 7 (05:03):
Exactly, and we can't model much. We're not great looking, dude.

Speaker 9 (05:06):
They sell them at Center Court the new Team Shop.
Have you been to the New Team shop at the
field House. No, dude, he's newly minted remodel and everything.
And also you can mite online. But I want, I want,
I want Chris ky So to hook us up with
some some with some goodies, you know, some Lulu Lemon stuff.

Speaker 7 (05:23):
Great that we're way ahead of thee.

Speaker 3 (05:25):
No, I'm on them.

Speaker 9 (05:26):
And you know when he when he when he comes
to asking for stuff, I'm.

Speaker 7 (05:29):
On it because I said, I looked at you and
Booby and and I was jealous, and look at those
two guys with their big hats. Ralph and I sit
here do the podcast. We all wear any hats, let
alone big starphone hands.

Speaker 9 (05:39):
And by the way, it looks really cool with the
Calves gold logo, with the new cat, with the V,
with the V with the basket and the net. I
already I already made it made the first the first attempt.

Speaker 7 (05:48):
I'm gonna wear it everywhere. IM gonna wear it that date.

Speaker 9 (05:49):
And I'm gonna send a recording or this to Chris
kay is just the first segment, so he can he
have calves steamshop dot com exactly.

Speaker 7 (05:56):
We want to be the model spokesmandels. Let's talk a
little can coming off a big win on Sunday night,
big win twelve twelve regular season in a row. The
Golden stated beat us. We haven't beat them since christ
game four Christmas of twenty sixty, but game four of
the twenty seventeen finals, that was the last game we

(06:17):
beat them.

Speaker 9 (06:17):
So I don't like to include the playoff once because
it's just the whole different specially Finals, it's a whole
different monster. But like the fact that we have not
beaten in since twenty sixteen, and it's only two games
a year, but still, I mean, it's something that you
think you will you and then you know there were
games like the big egg we lay last year when
they came back from the double, from the back to
back and and they had nobody tied.

Speaker 3 (06:39):
Your own was looking like a glove crowder.

Speaker 9 (06:44):
So I think it's amazing to see what the guys
just did in terms of not only first win in.

Speaker 3 (06:50):
I think it was twelve or fourteen.

Speaker 9 (06:52):
Don't take don't quote me on it, but I know
the Warriors have not lost on the road yet this
year until they lost at the Fieldhouse, So it was
it was something. And you know, even though it doesn't
mean as much as it is the other four years
straight that we faked, they want to beat the crop
out of us, especially Raymond and you know, and the
other kids from Akron want to always you know, I

(07:13):
want to always beat the.

Speaker 3 (07:16):
Copycat from Akron, the other kid. But it was a
great win.

Speaker 7 (07:21):
And they're playing eight games, eight games in eight different
cities to start the season. Wow won at home and
then they played seven and then they come home and
then they put eight different spots and we'll see them
again this road trip, so we'll talk about it later
in the road trip. You mentioned another win earlier before
we started recording, the New York win. That was I

(07:42):
think the first real win this season where we looked
like how we want to look. That's the way you
want to that's the way we want to play.

Speaker 9 (07:49):
And sometimes, like you mentioned the movie Boobies World podcast,
we were talking about how I sometimes I don't feel
like I have to apologize, but you and I have
a different angle on to what's going on on a
day to day basis, and and the fact that the JB.
Bickerstaff had not had the chance to play his starting lineup,
and that means having his rotations and get the play

(08:12):
like basically have all the bullets in his holster for
the last two games he's had. And you can see
the difference in our offense and defense when Jared Allen
is in. And remember he's a little bit not out
of shape in the meaning that he just out of
game shape because he has he didn't moved much and.

Speaker 7 (08:28):
He talked about today practice, he talked about how he
was gaessed. That first game you.

Speaker 9 (08:32):
Could tell, and you could tell the pushing and and
and you know, and the first time back is Miles
Turner who liked to play on the outside and he
was like moving all over the place. So and had
a monster game too, hit his first four trees. I
think so that that think that's one factor and the
other one is, you know, Darius Karlan getting healthy. And
also if you think about the season that the start

(08:53):
of the season that that la Anya is having and
when you do things and I hate to bring this
bring his but when you talk calves, you're always gonna
have to find Lebroun in the conversation, but to do
things that nobody has ever done for the Calves. When
Lebron played here whatever years, he played what eight years?
So I think it's incredible to see what Mitchell has

(09:15):
been doing quietly, I think.

Speaker 7 (09:17):
Pretty quietly. And I'm glad you mentioned that, because you
talked about things that Lebron didn't do. Last week. Evan
Mobley the game in New York, he put up numbers,
and you mentioned quietly because he didn't have a thirty
five point game, but for the steals, the blocks, the rebounds,
the assists. No Cavalier player had ever put up those numbers.

(09:38):
And again they weren't all. It wasn't twenty eight points,
h all, fourteen points, fifteen rebounds, but he got.

Speaker 3 (09:44):
Two games with fifteen plus rebounds already.

Speaker 7 (09:46):
Yeah. Again, that's the golden child. I think people, even
people I talked to, are slightly impatient with him. They
want him to make this big step, and it's like,
that's not the way he plays the game. Evan's gonna
just get better gradually and gradually, and eventually he's going
to be superstars.

Speaker 3 (10:04):
The great thing. And I was thinking about it today.

Speaker 9 (10:06):
It's not obviously I'm not comparing the players because it's
two different but like with when when Benyama, he's what
he's doing right now, it's kind of like what Mobley
was doing up to now. A lot of it just
thanks to their skills and to the physique. Right, they
still haven't really gotten to the point where they can
use the the in Spanish we just call me or

(10:30):
the fun like you know what I mean, like when
the veteran moves and the things. So it is amazing
to sit and wait and see what the flashes that
these kids all have. So I think it's been a
great start for the Caps, just putting up with all
the little missing pieces that we have had. And again,
you know, I was glad we beat the Warriors because
coming up, you know, leaving the living living on the

(10:52):
road and then not being able to win a home
yet and we were one of the best teams at
home last year.

Speaker 3 (10:57):
So yeah, it's.

Speaker 7 (10:59):
It was nice kid that way, especially that one you
that day. Oh yeah, double.

Speaker 3 (11:03):
Double victory victory Sunday.

Speaker 5 (11:07):
Yeah, I want Quatro Tilmani Cooper, Brian not Joku and
Kreda for Copetta Para Watson.

Speaker 10 (11:18):
That you wrote four It's possible Plata para diving, no
joco sago the talks down Pa sag passa party part
of the Watson.

Speaker 3 (11:39):
Did both.

Speaker 9 (11:40):
It was yeah, I was really beat up at the
end of the day because I have to drive to
the field how parked like around seven a m.

Speaker 3 (11:46):
And then walk.

Speaker 9 (11:47):
I was gonna uber, but then I was, you know,
I'm not gonna not gonna go to the gym this morning.
Let me just walk midway or midway when I was
becausing crossing Superior Avenue.

Speaker 3 (11:56):
I was like, damn. I So I did the game
and then pack my stuff.

Speaker 9 (12:02):
You know, obviously our budgets are really high, so we
don't have an engineer and so I have to bring
my own equipment and my own engineer. So I had
to pack everything and HI cut back, you know with
all the Brown defense happy and barking and seeing all
the beautiful T shirts that they sell on the way up.

Speaker 3 (12:19):
But it was great.

Speaker 9 (12:20):
It was you know, the Brown tid what they were
supposed to do. The defense stepped up, our offense looked
like what it could look. You know, no joke, who's
having a monster year? I think and quiet and then
you know, Cooper is showing with the Shaun Watson throwing
the ball, he can actually run those long routes and
mouth carrot man.

Speaker 7 (12:40):
I mean, this is the best defense. I'm a lifelong
Browns fan. This is the best defense I've ever seen.

Speaker 9 (12:45):
But it's such a different difference to the ones that
we have seen, like, for example, the Ravens defense. It
was more like I'm not saying that the brown defense
is not a physical or whatever, but they just look
so athletic too. The secondary is just amaze.

Speaker 7 (13:02):
I mean, like our third best cornerback would start.

Speaker 9 (13:05):
For you know, like our linebackers are not those big dudes,
but like by Jay Okay on every play.

Speaker 3 (13:14):
Guy, he's on every play, you know.

Speaker 9 (13:16):
And then with tak Taki getting healthy and getting a
pick last week, so it's it's it's all a matter
of I think whether the offense can actually just keep
us and they don't need.

Speaker 3 (13:26):
To be but the difference will keep you within a possession.

Speaker 7 (13:29):
Yeah, yeah, they just need to be good.

Speaker 3 (13:31):
Just just don't don't lose the game.

Speaker 7 (13:32):
That's it.

Speaker 3 (13:33):
But it was great.

Speaker 9 (13:34):
So then and then we're going with the Warriors and
I'm doing that again next not this coming Sunday because
they're in they're in Baltimore. Next Monday, we have the
Steelers one and then the NBA Champs at six.

Speaker 3 (13:46):
Yeah, that's a huge double head and.

Speaker 7 (13:51):
That one.

Speaker 3 (13:51):
You should come and do the double headed with me.

Speaker 7 (13:53):
Man, Maybe I will for that one. It's a one
o'clock game. But what's the six pm? The six Maybe
I will do that one.

Speaker 3 (14:00):
You can write your five keys a halftime.

Speaker 9 (14:03):
Hey, can we pause for ten seconds to let our
our affiliates identify themselves?

Speaker 3 (14:08):
Yes?

Speaker 7 (14:09):
Please.

Speaker 4 (14:13):
You're listening to Wine and Go radio, Hello America.

Speaker 7 (14:27):
So we're going to talk to a guest. This is
a guest.

Speaker 3 (14:30):
You set this up.

Speaker 7 (14:31):
This is a great job by you. You set this
one up. Our first guest. I have to I've been
thinking about this that our first guest of the year
was Tristan Thompson. And I can't believe. I can't believe
we had Tristan Thompson on the show and didn't blame
your national anthem.

Speaker 3 (14:47):
Oh, my guy, you are so right. No, we have
to have we have to him again. That's what that.

Speaker 9 (14:54):
Maybe he can help me, Maybe he can help me
get to sing the national anthem. When when when raptors
come to town. I'll even do it at the Wolfston
Center when when then Toronto nine oh six, whatever, then
whatever the area code is, I'll do it at the
Wolston Center when the Charge hosts the rap.

Speaker 7 (15:10):
I would love it. I encourage it, And when you do,
I'm gonna take my big foam head off.

Speaker 3 (15:15):
Yeah, I'm gonna win ahead and take it up.

Speaker 7 (15:18):
While come on, Chris, guys and make it happen Hyder.
We want to hear spokesmodel.

Speaker 6 (15:25):
God o your samp Oh God, we stand on God,
Oh God, stand on wardy God.

Speaker 3 (16:03):
Damn that boy say, we must be creepy, good, you
must be creepy.

Speaker 7 (16:06):
But when we come back from the break to let
some fans know who have not been listening, if there's
someone out there who hasn't been that we've been trying
to get. We're halftime actificionados. We watch every single halftime
show every game, so we're we're critics and we've been
trying to get a monkey halftime show all years now,

(16:30):
and we've said, you know what, let's go right to
the source. Let's go right to the Cleveland Metro Park
Zoo and see if they'll let us borrow some monkeys
for halftime, and well, our next guest will give us
the answer whether that's going to happen or.

Speaker 3 (16:44):
Not, Doctor Christopher Kuhard, Doctor Christopher Couhard.

Speaker 9 (16:47):
Our most see that from the guest, aside from like
you know, cause we have had Nick Barletche here, we
have Kamarowski.

Speaker 3 (16:53):
So we have the top of the top of the
line in.

Speaker 9 (16:56):
Our organization, right outside of the Calves organization.

Speaker 3 (16:59):
Is he the highest the highest guess that I meant luminary.

Speaker 7 (17:04):
Yeah, So we're gonna learn some stuff and hopefully you
guys will too. And uh, we'll be back right after
this with doctor Kuhar.

Speaker 3 (17:10):
Need to zo, Hi, This is George Nieing. I like
to bang home corner threes and I never listened to
Wine and Gold Radio.

Speaker 4 (17:22):
There's more of this after this on Wine and Gold Radio.

Speaker 11 (17:40):
Portion of the show is being brought to you by
Ed's Almost Good Beer. Remember Ed's Almost Good Beer was
brood in God's country when God wasn't looking. Now back

(18:02):
to Wine and Gold Radio.

Speaker 7 (18:03):
I'm bline goodness, okay, everybody, and welcome back to segment
two of winey Gold Radio. We are on location rap Hark. Yeah,
and we are joined again. This could be our most
the most prominent guest we've ever had on the show.
Is that correct? With out without a doubt that doctor,
Just real quick, we are the talent. We're not setting

(18:25):
We're not setting up for Chris Fiedor or hay and Grove.

Speaker 3 (18:29):
This is the talent.

Speaker 7 (18:30):
Unfortunately, we're the guys. Uh We are here at the
Cleveland Metro Park Zoo and we are joined by the
executive director of the Cleveland Metro Park Zoo, doctor Christopher Kuhar.
Welcome to the show, Welcome to winy Gold Radio. We're
we're honored to have you.

Speaker 12 (18:45):
On the honor is allmine. I'm thrilled that you guys
are here, excited to talk.

Speaker 3 (18:50):
There's so many things to talk about.

Speaker 9 (18:52):
But first of all, just the fact that we kind
of told you a little preview about why we're here
or how we ended up here just by us throw luck.

Speaker 3 (19:00):
We always talked about, you know, primate.

Speaker 9 (19:02):
We have a fascination with primate, and obviously your fascination
is a little more.

Speaker 3 (19:06):
On the academic side.

Speaker 9 (19:08):
But and then I met you the day that we
came here with a friends at Tito Vodka and presented
the check from the campaign as it's for a cause,
and I just had I have to ask the doctor
to see if we can, if we can come on
the show with so thank you. As I also mentioned
to you before, this is the first and only zoo
I have ever visited in my entire life.

Speaker 12 (19:25):
That's amazing to me.

Speaker 3 (19:26):
I'm glad.

Speaker 12 (19:26):
I'm glad this is the zoo that you Yeah.

Speaker 3 (19:29):
And I enjoyed it a lot.

Speaker 9 (19:31):
First of all, the first time I came, I was
I was a judge on the for the new Cavalier
dance team.

Speaker 3 (19:36):
We were kind of selecting the first team.

Speaker 9 (19:39):
This is my second year here, but I always been
wondering about all the things that happened at the zoo.

Speaker 3 (19:45):
A lot of people and this is the question I
wanted to ask you. A lot of people always talk
about not liking zoos because you know, animals are cage
and all like that.

Speaker 9 (19:53):
And I just came back from a safari in Tanzania
and it's amazing to see them in the world. But
you have talked to us about a little bit about
about all the work that the Cleveland Metro Parks.

Speaker 3 (20:01):
Two does to help the animals.

Speaker 12 (20:03):
Yeah, I mean, so I grew up in northeast Ohio. Right,
so this is my childhood zoo. I got to come
here a couple of times as a kid, and so
and it's a completely different place than it was in
the seventies, right, And I tell people all the time,
if it was the same experience that it was in
the seventies, I wouldn't be working here. Right. This is
a this is a really different place at you know,

(20:24):
we're doing a ton of research, really trying to figure
out how what's the really best way to care about
these animals. We're investing a ton into education for you know,
kids in the local community, but also at you know,
at a professional level graduate school. And you know, and
I just came back from a trip to Rwanda. Whe
were visiting our conservation programs in Rwando, you know, supporting

(20:44):
the conservation of Mountain Girl. So it's really complicated. Most
people don't get it right. They understand the guest experience,
which is fine. I guess you try to make it
look easy, right as far as the guests go. But
it's it's it's a really complicated different place. And we're
really excited that we're doing some cool stuff.

Speaker 7 (21:00):
We're here and it's a beautiful day. It's a Monday
and it's packed. Is this Is there something special going
on or is it normally just like this?

Speaker 12 (21:08):
So you know, so Cleveland Mutric Park zero is part
of Cleveland much Parks and we have free Mondays here,
so residents of Caihoga County and Hinckley Township get in free.
But you know, it depends on the weather, right, And
I think that Clevelanders recognize a good day when you
get it because you know, you don't know how many
more are left. Yeah, right, And and you know it
sometimes depends on where kids are in the school year,
if they have to have a day off or something,

(21:29):
parent teacher conferences and all that. But yeah, we're excited
when when you get a good weather day like this,
people come out. It's it's nice to see.

Speaker 7 (21:36):
I wanted to ask you real quick and again, we're
gonna eventually, doctor, we're gonna we're gonna have to ask
you the million dollar question when it's all reps. So
we're gonna have to ask you about halftime.

Speaker 13 (21:48):
For you.

Speaker 7 (21:49):
But Rafa brought up a good point and I guess
a lot of people, including myself, and we're obviously animal
lovers that talk about animals in captivity, and you obviously
understand it. People come in and they feel bad about it.
I kind of feel bad when but but you're doing
a great I'm sure for conservation, a great service. Can
you explain why this is not something that that harms

(22:12):
the animals or why why it's good for them?

Speaker 12 (22:14):
So, first of all, I'll say, you know.

Speaker 3 (22:17):
Something.

Speaker 12 (22:17):
You know, we're doing everything we can to make sure
we're providing the best care of those animals, right, And
that doesn't mean that we're perfect.

Speaker 3 (22:23):
Right.

Speaker 12 (22:23):
Schools do wonderful things, hospitals do amazing things. Sometimes bad
things happen right, accidents or whatever. But for the most part,
I think we do a lot and we're constantly learning.
I think that's the part that I'm most proud of
is the fact that we're doing things differently today than
we were a couple of years ago. And the direction
we're going as allowing animals to make choices. They're not

(22:45):
just sort of locked into a space. And this is
what you get, right, right, So they're they're they're getting
they're given choice, they're given control. We're always assessing it.
We're doing changes to diets, and animals are healthier, they're
living longer, and you know, the choice thing is interesting
because I think people are like, oh, you know, animals
don't want to be inside and you know, go check
out a rainy day.

Speaker 1 (23:05):
You know.

Speaker 12 (23:05):
I think there's some videos out there like gorillas running
with you know, covering their heads with their hands, right,
because that's really what happens. Like, Yeah, can they live outside?

Speaker 3 (23:14):
Yeah? Do they always like it?

Speaker 10 (23:15):
No?

Speaker 14 (23:16):
Not really.

Speaker 12 (23:16):
You know, elephants can walk hundreds of miles in a day. Yeah,
they can. They do because they have to. It doesn't
mean they want to necessarily. So what we're trying to
do is provide the things that those animals need, right
to not only just live, but also to thrive, and
then balancing out sometimes when when you're built for that,
you have to move, right. We don't want to make
it too easy because then you get health issues. Right,

(23:37):
It's just like us, we don't we're not active, and
all those we do is sit at home and eat.
Then you know, it's it's not good health and welfare either.
So there's that balance of having to work a little bit,
having to you know, kind of move around, and not
having to move around too much. Right, So we're trying
to find that and I hope that in five ten
years we look back at what we're doing now and say, man,
we weren't good enough, because that means we've made a

(23:57):
lot of improvements. Right, We're always trying to do better
and better, provide more spaces, bigger spaces, more complex spaces.
So it's it's a fun puzzle to always kind of
to pick.

Speaker 9 (24:07):
At interesting and speaking of all the all the things
you need to do as a as a as a zoo,
you also need to help from from from from organizations
like the Cavaliers for example, who have a really good
relationship I think with with the Cleveland Metro Parks who
and can you tell a little bit and talk to
us a little bit about the relationship.

Speaker 8 (24:24):
But now we have the city Edition Jersey last year yeah,
so last year was the Metro the Metro Parks zo
and also you know the the Assists for a cost
campaign with with with titles, which I think they're running
it back again. But also the cabs are still involved
and and one of the things that attracted me to
come to Cleveland and worked for this organization was there

(24:45):
there the serious intention about being involved and help and
provide to the community.

Speaker 3 (24:50):
And I'm pretty sure you you you will feel the
same way.

Speaker 12 (24:53):
Yeah, And I think part of the reason why people
don't understand ZEUS is because I think historically we were
very inward facing. Right now, if you're looking at the
community and what you do is take care of gorillas,
how many people in the community can tell you about that,
how many people can help you? Like, so you just
looked inside. But as we evolved as an organization, we're
looking more outside, right, We're looking at more community partnerships
and making those connections. And obviously you said it, that's

(25:13):
what the Calves do really well, right, is to make
those connections in the community. So last year there was
the you know, the City Edition Jersey, you know the
land and my understanding, it was a huge success, right,
and you know, I think they look really cool. And
then you know the assist for a Cost campaign. Is
it something that the Calves do and we were happy
to align in there. And then you know those funds

(25:34):
that we were able to gather from that program, you know,
over twenty thousand dollars that's going to support work with
Andian Bear. So sorry, guys, it's not a primate, but
you know the bear species that's in Peru and Columbia
and in the Andes Mountains. You know, we've had a
long term conservation program there, so we're always looking to
find partners to help us fund that and do more

(25:56):
and protect more of those animals. So having a good
relationship with an organization like the CA have, you know,
we're always looking to to find good partners and try
to be a good partner ourselves.

Speaker 9 (26:04):
Big shout out to our friends. That title's because they
were here and they really step up when it comes
to the C for cost compaign.

Speaker 12 (26:11):
Yes, and you always liked the big cardboard check. Yeah,
it's always nice to hold the big cardboard check and
the photo.

Speaker 7 (26:18):
Yeah yeah, yeah, tact who hired? Like, how does a
guy you're from Lorraine?

Speaker 3 (26:23):
Correct? Yeah?

Speaker 7 (26:24):
How does a guy from Lorraine? So how did your
how did this whole story unfold for you?

Speaker 2 (26:28):
Man?

Speaker 12 (26:28):
I wish I could tell you. It's one of those
things where doors kept opening and I kept walking through them.
I was an undergrad at the University of Akron and
I had to take an animal behavior class and as
part of the project, you were supposed to go collect
data on a non domestic animal right, So you couldn't
collec data on your cat or dog, like you had
to go like either go out in the wild and
look at birds or something. And it's like, oh, you know,

(26:49):
and this is literally my thought process was, chimpanzees are cool.
I'll go to the zoo and collect data on chimpanzees.
And you know, I came here. The woman who was
the director of the conservation and research program at the time,
she kind of patted me on my head because I
did everything wrong, right, but she helped me. She kind
of gave me some information and I went up and
I watched chimps. And while I was up there, there
was a group of twenty somethings animal keepers who were there,

(27:12):
and you know, I got to talk to and got
to know a little bit and learned what zoos really were,
and I was like, wow, this is this is actually
really cool. Like you said, I didn't really understand how
complicated it was, right, So I got to learn more,
and then I got the opportunity because of that experience,
I applied for an internship in Arizona working with chimpanzees.
I ended up going out there. I ended up going

(27:33):
to grad school working on tamarins, which are a small
monkey species about the size of a squirrel. Jeoffrey's tamarins
are from Panama, So you know, I did some of
that and just one opportunity, you know, led to another,
and always it was this combination of science and people
applying the science and what the programs could do, whether
it's conservation or education. And it was this very cool

(27:56):
space where I felt like I was able to make
a difference. And I wasn't good enough to be like
an engineer or something like that. I didn't have those talents,
but this was something that I was kind of good
at and it just it was a way to give
back to the community with my particular skill set. And
it's been fun, it really has. But it's not something
that like your parents expect you to do that, right, I'm.

Speaker 7 (28:14):
Wondering how you got there. And then primate specifically, just
when you started studying chimpanzees that they kind of fascinated
you and you're stuck in that path absolutely.

Speaker 12 (28:23):
I mean it's the when you start to see and
I started out doing behavior, like a lot of it
was behavior, right, So you're watching these complicated social groups
and after you get to know the individuals and the
animals and their patterns. You start to see things evolve
and you, you know, help when people help you understand,
like all that animals moving over there to sort of
get in a better position this other round, trying to
make displace that animal because they're dominant, and you start

(28:44):
to see the chess game play out. You're like, oh,
this is this is a little game of Thrones kind
of stuff in here, right, So you try to figure
that out. And that's really what my early career was
was looking at aggressive behavior and multi male gorilla groups.
And you know that that was kind of fun.

Speaker 9 (28:58):
You know, here we want to go radio. We're kind
of like a ciscol and neighbor kind of thing. Okay,
how I wanted to ask you this, how real or
how way out of possibilities? Was like the Planet of
the Apes movie, Do you get you?

Speaker 3 (29:13):
Do you watch it? Do you get in? Do you
think of that when you watch the movies? Or well,
I tell you what I mean, because I think it's
amazing those.

Speaker 7 (29:20):
First of all, you were planning the apes into.

Speaker 3 (29:22):
This noo, It's incredible how similar we are.

Speaker 9 (29:25):
I mean, that's the that's the basis of the conversation
to begin with, if we don't if you don't believe that,
I don't know.

Speaker 3 (29:32):
I don't know what else we can explain. But what
what does your mind go when you watch the movie
that involved primate?

Speaker 12 (29:38):
Yeah, I don't know about the Statue of Liberty, but
the stories are like, you stay in this business long
enough and you watch animals and you see what happens,
like the stories are enough to make you go and
there's something special going on there right there. They're not
just mindless automatons kind of bouncing around in the exhibit.

Speaker 1 (29:56):
You know.

Speaker 12 (29:56):
The example I'll give you is, you know, so we
had years ago, we had our first baby gorilla in
our zoo's history, right one hundred and thirty nine years
never had a baby grilla here, And we had a
baby guerrilla here and mom didn't take care of them,
and we ended up we were kind of prepared. We
always prepare for worst case scenario.

Speaker 9 (30:13):
We're sort of what would be the case of why
the mom didn't want Well, it could be.

Speaker 12 (30:17):
At it could be lack of experience, right, she hadn't
she hadn't done it before. She had some health issues
at the time too, so that probably contributed to a
little bit, so you know, we were prepared in cases
doesn't work. And you know, in primates, a lot of
primate behaviors learned, right, So if you didn't get to
see it as a you know, in a family group,
or you didn't get to experience it, you may may
not be good at it. So we ended up introducing
her the male that was born to another female, an

(30:41):
older female. She was forty six years old something like that,
so kind of like a grandma, right, and she kind
of you know, took on this this baby gorilla, and
she did everything we needed to do, like a couple hours.
You know, every couple hours you got to feed a baby, right,
you know, So we don't go in with the gorillas.
You know, you know, a joke to say you can
do that once, you're probably not them back out, right,

(31:01):
So we don't go in with them. Everything is through barrier.
So the keepers had these animals, you know, they're coming
up to the to the to the mesh barrier. They
were getting food. They were like, you know, kind of
rigging a bottle through the mesh. They could give the
baby milk and everything was going great, and then the
baby developed pneumonia. Sometimes babies, well, right, they regurge a
little bit, you know, aspirate the milk, right, get a

(31:23):
little bacteria infection. So the baby had to come out
and go with our vet team. And the entire time
that that baby was out, Macolo, our male gorilla, was
contact calling like he was looking for him. Right, His
heart rate was up, his stress levels were up. We
measure a chemical oxytocin they called the love hormone, right,

(31:43):
that's really high and bonded animals. But when the baby
left the group, his oxytocin level dropped, right, So there's
all these connections, right, And the baby was out for
about ten days, and when we brought them back to
the building, every single one of those animals started making
happy gorilla sounds and they came up to the mesh
and they're they're reaching out and they're touching in through
the mash, and it's like you can see that this
baby animal who had only been the group for ten

(32:05):
ten days, they bonded with that animal, right, they made
that really special connections. When you see stuff like that,
when we see these social relations kind of evolve, you're like, yeah,
they're they're a lot like uh, so, man, anything's possible,
Anything's possible.

Speaker 7 (32:19):
I read something just today about I'm sure you read
it about the monkey They call it Monkey Island in
Puerto Rico. I think it was. They survived two major
hurricanes and they thought there would be like five hundred
of them left on the island. Turns out that it
quite flourished. But they survived really well, and they had developed,

(32:40):
you know, different social structures and things like that, and
it really is kind of amazing. I want to ask
you real quick, how do you how do you monitor them?
You said you monitor their levels of Yeah, so we.

Speaker 12 (32:53):
Do behavior monitoring. That's pretty easy, right, you sit with
a piece of paper, you know, a tablet, and you're
recording what you see. But then we do a lot
of work. Right, so it's either through a urine sample.
We actually have the gorillas trained to give us a
saliva sample. So they'll chew on a cotton swab and
then they trade it back and you take that cotton
swab and you sentrifusion down to get saliva out of it,
and then you can run the chemical essays out of that.

(33:14):
So you know, some of our gorillas are trained to
give a blood sample. Well, they'll put their arm in
a sleeve and you can put a little butterfly in
there and get a blood sample.

Speaker 3 (33:23):
So we got to go at it a.

Speaker 12 (33:25):
Bunch of different ways depending on the species. Right, goll
Gorillas and the rings are kind of for us. They're
the most well trained. We have the most involvement with them.
Sometimes you're you know, one of my first jobs here
was you know, I was my first research project was
with the tamarans and I was collecting urine samples. So
my job as a you know, I was probably twenty
four to twenty five, was to go in first thing
in the morning before the monkeys wake up, turn on

(33:47):
the lights, and what's the first thing you do when
you wake up? You gotta go to the bathroom. Man,
So I was there with little cups like catching monkey
urine samples, you know, every morning. So not exactly a
glamorous job, but you know, right, So yeah, so it's
like when you when you get that, then you're able
to turn that over to the science team and the

(34:08):
fat team. They're able to look at stress hormones and
reproductive hormones.

Speaker 3 (34:11):
And all that sort of stuff.

Speaker 12 (34:12):
So it's a it's really cool. That's what I mean
by the complexity of what's involved in these things, and
a lot of those hormones track back to the same
kinds of things in humans as well.

Speaker 7 (34:21):
Have you ever been nervous or scared in the company
of you talking about the gorilla behavior?

Speaker 3 (34:28):
Are you?

Speaker 7 (34:29):
Have you ever been nervous around them?

Speaker 12 (34:32):
Well, so you have to trust structural integrity, right, I've
never been in space with with an animal like that.
And I'll tell you what when a when a silver
back comes and runs and kicks the mesh in front
of you and you a couple of feet away and
you're in enclosed space. That that sound, right, that that
chest beat when it echoes inside that that that'll get you,
you know, get your heart right. I will say the
one thing that the kind of the one thing that

(34:53):
gave me the most chills as I was in a
facility once and in a chimp facility and the group
I was watching was was baby chimp. And one of
the locks they had two piece padlocks, right, and one
of the it was just a lock on like a
feeder or something, and the and the lock came apart, right,
So it wasn't a big deal.

Speaker 13 (35:11):
Right.

Speaker 12 (35:12):
The staff came in kind of you know, pushed back
in and one of those you know, young chimpanzees like
maybe less than two years old, he went around and
reached his arm out and pulled on every single other
lock on. So so he knew like, oh one lock
wasn't worth maybe the rest of them wasn't. So that's
that was my AHA moment.

Speaker 3 (35:32):
Early in my career. I was like, oh, great behavior.

Speaker 12 (35:35):
They're probably they're probably smarter than I am, but I
need to watch my stuff, right.

Speaker 7 (35:39):
And then the other thing I wanted to ask, do
you have relationships with them? I mean do they know you?

Speaker 3 (35:44):
Do they know people?

Speaker 7 (35:45):
Do they know the workers?

Speaker 12 (35:46):
I mean, yeah, they know people. They know, they know
the staff that with them.

Speaker 3 (35:49):
They don't know me.

Speaker 12 (35:50):
I'm a non entity to them.

Speaker 7 (35:52):
They do have relationships when you know the same as
I guess your dog or your cat, would they know you?

Speaker 12 (35:58):
And they yeah, for so the animal care team, I mean,
well we you know, I'll I'll go back and see
you know what the team is doing. They always keep
an eye on me because I'm the stranger, right, but
they they trust the team that works with them. And
I will say, you know, for those who you know
critique zoos. You know, when you see what these animal
care teams are able to do with these animals right there.

(36:20):
We don't make an animal participate in a training session,
right if they just want to you know, they just
don't want to participate, they want to go sit in
the back, they can, right. They're still going to get
their food. We're not starving them out or anything like that.
So that that that's a relationship, right, that's trust that
that's built between that that animal care professional and and
the animal. And it's pretty remarkable, right they they and
they have they have preferences right right, They're like some

(36:43):
more than others, right, you know, just like humans, right, yeah,
and uh yeah, so it's there. There are really incredible
bonds that are built. And then and when you when
you lose an animal, that that's hard on not only
the other animals in the group, but on the on
the team, right, So it's like losing a family member, right,
you're there and in some cases, like they're spending more
time with these animals than they are their families, right, So,

(37:06):
I mean it's it's there's a deep connection there for sure.

Speaker 9 (37:09):
Before before Joji dropped the million dollar question here, I
wanted to ask you did baby Kayembe?

Speaker 3 (37:14):
Is that is that how you name?

Speaker 9 (37:16):
Yeah, the the the heat make it on time to
be on the Netflix Uh special because I know they
have that.

Speaker 3 (37:21):
The zoo was part of the of the of the documentary.

Speaker 7 (37:24):
You know.

Speaker 12 (37:24):
Yeah, so we have we have two baby gurillas now, right,
so Kayembe just turned two, he's two years old. And
then we had another little baby who dropped in time
and there I was on Netflix. We have a little
female now.

Speaker 3 (37:35):
So it's called baby Baby.

Speaker 12 (37:36):
Can we just say baby car Her name is Kunda,
which means love in Kiswahili, which is I'm sorry Kenya Rwandan,
which is where we do a lot of our conservation work.
So they kind of gave us some some names that
that are culturally appropriate in those areas. And so we
were really proud to have that. And and you know,
people all over the world, you know, getting to see

(37:58):
you know, getting to see the our girl group pretty cool.

Speaker 3 (38:00):
But but it's a Netflix documentary. You check it out.
We'll check it out.

Speaker 12 (38:04):
It's uh, it's just baby Uh it's Baby Gorilla cam
or Baby animal cam. You can just search it.

Speaker 3 (38:10):
Watch them in the in their habitat really, it's really amazing.

Speaker 7 (38:13):
Yeah, we have to check that out.

Speaker 12 (38:16):
It's just some something for the plane.

Speaker 3 (38:17):
Should we uh?

Speaker 7 (38:20):
Should we spring the million times and just get get
the end of fun in the room, the gorilla in
the room. Here we go, here we go back again.
We are halftime act Officionados. That's been the theme of
the show for the goal is to improve and to improve.
The last night Sunday Nights was great. Was the upside

(38:40):
down speed painter. Have you ever seen him?

Speaker 10 (38:43):
No?

Speaker 7 (38:43):
I have not. He puts up a big black canvas
and he kind of real quick with both hands, you know, player.

Speaker 9 (38:49):
And then I kind of don't like that much because
I think it's I can't rest you in halftime.

Speaker 3 (38:53):
You know, I'm a one man show.

Speaker 9 (38:55):
So when there's like a music, oh yeah, I like
it because I play it and it's like, hey, they
going to have don't show.

Speaker 7 (39:00):
So years ago we kind of started this and we
wondered if it would be possible. You know, you see
the videos you're on Instagram. You see the videos of
little monkeys riding a dog or well, they can do anything,
you know, better than any of us. They're entertaining. They
can do anything. They can do tricks if you want.
We are wondering if there's any it. Could there be

(39:23):
a monkey halftime act during a kaz game. I'm just
gonna ask the question.

Speaker 12 (39:29):
If there is Cleveland Metropark Zoo, will not be part
of it. I answer it that way, No wish washer out.

Speaker 7 (39:42):
He just came right out.

Speaker 12 (39:43):
Yeah, I mean we have we have some animals that
we do we call thembassador animals, so they'll go out
into the community, be part of a community program, things
like that. But it's it's you know, when you're doing
stuff like that, it's typically a solitary animal because to
do that, you got to take them out of their group, right,
and those groups are important, right, So we don't we
don't do that here. Plus primates, there's a whole sort

(40:05):
of disease risk kind of thing. I agree with you.
It would be really cool, right. I'm of the generation
I remember that. You guys ever see the Lancelot link
chimp like voisover chimp stuff, Like I used to think
that was hilarious when I was a kid. It was
probably really bad for those animals, right, Like.

Speaker 14 (40:20):
I would like to see that every which way by
loose it was Yeah, yeah, probably not really good for
those animals, right, So that's where we've evolved to like,
we're gonna we're gonna do everything we can to provide
really great care for those animals in those spaces, and
that's that's where they're.

Speaker 7 (40:35):
Going to be, you know what. I that that brings
up another question then, So when you see animals going
talking about movies like you were earlier, when you see
like any which Way but Loose or Lancelot Link, great reference,
but the first time you're gonna have is that is
that difficult on the animals? I mean, those animals are not.
I imagine it was.

Speaker 12 (40:54):
Yeah, I imagine it was. And what you're seeing now
is you know, with CGI, you're seeing that pivot away
from life animal actors and there's much more CGI, right
the New Planet of the Apes, right, that's all that's allies,
you know, Yeah, it's all CGI now. So and I
think that's why because it's hard. It's hard on the animals.
It's you never know exactly what you're going to get
as a participant, right, right, especially if you want to

(41:15):
do something big and you know the stuff that people
really want to see. You know, Porcupine is one thing, right,
in gorilla or chimpanzee.

Speaker 7 (41:23):
And I have to believe twenty thousand noisy human screaming
at it.

Speaker 3 (41:27):
Probably, Yeah, it's not the best.

Speaker 9 (41:29):
What about in the case of speaking of separation and
all that, because I know there's also special cases, like
I forget that was it Coco the name of the
of the gorillavel who did sign language. Yeah, and obviously
there was a that was a special case. Was he's
also a separated animal?

Speaker 12 (41:44):
Yeah, so that was a separated animal, right, kind of
grew up solitary. So I think when when we see
that sort of stuff, right, it's it was a practice
that you know, a lot of places did in the
seventies and eighties, right, knowing what we know now though
those animals don't ever develop.

Speaker 3 (41:58):
The social skills to ever be in social and they
can be on the in the wild, right.

Speaker 13 (42:03):
Right.

Speaker 12 (42:04):
Yeah, So it's it's it's a situation where you know
you want to and this is the situation with Cayambe.
We wanted to get Cayambe back in that social group
as early as possible because we know we can keep
them alive, but we can't make them a gorilla. Right,
So the earliest that anyone had surrogated a gorilla back
into a group was like three months old. We did
it on day one. And and I think, you know,

(42:26):
if you look at him socially, he is a normal,
you know gorilla. He shows all the behavior patterns, you know,
and and that's what we want to see.

Speaker 13 (42:35):
Right.

Speaker 12 (42:35):
We can keep them physically alive, but there's a lot
of learned behavior in the primate that you mess out
on if you're not with other gorillas. And and that's
why we really try so hard to get him back.

Speaker 9 (42:45):
And that's the part I think that you know, ignorance
and for lack of a better war kind of makes
people look because for for some of us speaking of
ignorance for some of them, as it might sound cool
to have like an animal in the house, like but
but then you don't think of the damage that you
that you're actually changing the nature of the animal by
taking him out out of his group.

Speaker 3 (43:06):
No.

Speaker 12 (43:06):
Yeah, And we've been very vocal about, you know, the
the private ownership of of you know, primates and dangerous animals.
And Ohio didn't. No, it's not and you know, not
for the animals, not for the you know, for the people.
Quite honestly right, And it wasn't too long ago. Oh,
I didn't really have legislation around that, and we do now,
which which kind of protects people and protects animals in

(43:29):
a really good way. We've been you know, strong advocates
for that. You know, if you're if you're going to
have animals in this kind of situation, you need to
have professionals that are really you know, living it for
the animals benefit, not necessarily for the humans benefit.

Speaker 9 (43:40):
No, you're making it very difficult because now you're making
a think about a pushing the show. We don't want
to want to, right, so we're gonna have to change
the animal that we want on the show.

Speaker 12 (43:50):
Well, I'm hearing for you, like I'm challenging you because
otherwise you get bored. Right, if you had the answer
now you got Now you gotta work a little harder
to come up with that.

Speaker 9 (43:58):
No, but you know what I would love to I
would love to find a way for us to be
involved with the primates here at the zoo kind of
like you know, I don't know what the possibility though,
go to. We should go to a walk and talk
one day, or at least promote because I like to
I like to people, the millions of people that listen
to us, to know all the possibilities that you can
how what you can enjoy here at the zoo. I

(44:18):
had a blast the two three hours that I was
here that morning. And also if you want to have
a party, you can have your own private party.

Speaker 3 (44:25):
Here, right.

Speaker 12 (44:25):
Yeah, Yeah, we have rental facilities, we got events. Right,
There's a lot of different ways to enjoy the zoo now.
And you know it's that that animal piece is a
big part of it, right. You see the diversity of animals,
and we try to, you know, really focus on the
cultural piece of it too, right, So you know, with
a lot of animals from Africa or Central and South
America and really kind of bring out that cultural piece

(44:46):
because you know, if you're if you grow up with
those animals around, you have a different relationship, right, it
means something in your culture that doesn't you know, when
we're growing up and you see white tailed deer here
in Cleveland, it's not the same, right, Right, So you're
trying to make a connection with.

Speaker 9 (44:57):
Speaking of Cleveland, what happens in the winter, what I
imagine they have indoor and outdoor facilities.

Speaker 12 (45:04):
Yeah, so but you know, we're you know, early November now, right,
So for the most part, the animals that are going
to be in for the winter that they can't tolerate winter,
they're inside, right, They've got indoor spaces. And you know,
one of our big projects is coming up as a
primate forest project where we're kind of reimagining our rainforest
building and creating a big space for gorillas and orangutans.
That's using new construction materials. It's like they're outside year round. Right,

(45:28):
It's got like a giant greenhouse kind of approach. And
that's that's kind of as we evolve in zoos. Right,
you're having animals that can have that tropical environment in
Cleveland year round, right, not just get into a small space.
And then we have animals that love the weather here, right,
this is coming prime time for the tigers and some
of the bare species and snow leopards and things like that.
So those are the animals that will go out, you know,

(45:49):
on a January day and just lay in a snow drift.

Speaker 3 (45:52):
And right, don't feel bad for that.

Speaker 12 (45:56):
Totally loving it, totally loving.

Speaker 7 (45:58):
It, doctor Kuhur, even though you destroyed our even our
dreams today. You know what, We're going to go back
to the drawing board. Very encouraging. We're going to go
back to the drawing board, and we're going to come
back here later on in the season with a new plan.

Speaker 9 (46:12):
But the thing is gonna be you're gonna have to
find a domestic animal because any other animals from the
from the wild is going to be But.

Speaker 7 (46:18):
Even if we do, we should still consult with doctor
ku as far as Yeah, I'm.

Speaker 12 (46:22):
Thinking about you guys. I just want you to get
bored on these roach tres. I don't want you to
keep pushing the envelope.

Speaker 7 (46:28):
Right, We'll be sitting next to each other on the
plane tomorrow working through this problem.

Speaker 3 (46:32):
Okay, we're already at it. We already got to figure out.

Speaker 7 (46:35):
Let me know how I can help I can, Doctor Kuar,
thank you so much for having us here at the zoo.
And uh, it's your first time in on executive office
for sure. I told you last time. I maybe not
the last time, but I'm used to come to the
zoo where we had the elephant keys, where you push
the elephant keys and you hear the story.

Speaker 12 (46:53):
We have those now, it's just a modern version. We
got ideal screens with them. Now, Yeah, you got to
come check out the Adventure Keys.

Speaker 7 (46:59):
How do And we had it was like it was
like a big it was like a key and the
last elephant's trunk was the key part. And you'd put
the elephant's trunk into a little machine right in front
of the exhibit and it would explain, oh, that's about
the animal, yeah, and you would take your key around this.

Speaker 3 (47:16):
Do you have do you have like audio guided tours
here as well? Or is it all walking?

Speaker 1 (47:21):
Oh?

Speaker 12 (47:21):
For the most part, I mean, we do have education
programs that you can register and you kind of do
some behind the scenes stuff and things like that. For
the most part, it's self guided. Yeah, we found that,
you know, people like that aspect of it. But anyone
who has any sort of like hearing or visual impairments,
we have programs for those sorts of things. And the
zoo keys are you know, that's a big thing in
the fifties, sixties and seventies, and we brought them back

(47:43):
now and just we're now we're in the process of
updating them to Adventure Keys where it's not just audio anymore.
Now you get a video screen. Wow, So it's yeah, well,
welcome to the twenty twenties.

Speaker 7 (47:53):
Man, I need I need to I really do it
next day if we got to go move the next
day at the part, I mean, I really need to
come to the zoo, and I used to come to zoo.
One more thing is there was Monkey Island that this
probably does not exist anymore, so does it?

Speaker 12 (48:05):
So Monkey Island went away in twenty nineteen and we
actually built a new rhino exhibit. So the Daniel Maltz
Rhino Reserve now is an expansion of our existing rhino
habitat that covers the space that Monkey Island used to
be in. And we actually I hope this never again
happens in my career. We opened it while the zoo
was closed for COVID. You were doing drive through and

(48:25):
we were able to open that exhibit week, did the
construction all through COVID and reopened it. And so that's
a rhino space now.

Speaker 3 (48:31):
Yeah, let me I'm sorry to do it, but let
me ask you.

Speaker 9 (48:33):
I think you mentioned COVID and we were talking about
how primate and humans aren't basically yeah similar, right, how
did that affect the animal population in the zoo?

Speaker 3 (48:44):
Was there any cases?

Speaker 12 (48:45):
Would you so I will say, we had no documented
cases of COVID in our and the animals and our.

Speaker 3 (48:52):
But you were taking all the extreme care. Yeah.

Speaker 12 (48:54):
Yeah, And that doesn't mean that, you know, like humans, right,
there's some people who probably had COVID and never knew
that they had it, probably had some asymptomatic animals at
some point, but we didn't have any any that tested positive,
and we only tested if we saw symptoms, right, So
it's possible that like many of us, you know, you
had it and you didn't even know it, but we
didn't have anything of that. You know, we were closed
for ninety days, and I will say when the guests

(49:16):
came back, you saw a definite change in behavior the
animals where they're like actually paying attention to the guests again.
They're like, oh, this is new. I haven't where you
guys been. We haven't seen you in a while, right, Yeah,
And then after a couple of weeks they're like, oh, yeah, yeah,
that's the same.

Speaker 7 (49:30):
Do you have pets? I do, and do they are
they the most perfectly behaved pets of all time?

Speaker 3 (49:36):
Yeah?

Speaker 12 (49:36):
I have I have a poorly trained or Labrador Retriever,
but yeah, yeah she was. She was a little bit
of a rescue and she's very sweet dog. But I
will say she's not the best trained animal. Right, Sometimes
I try to blame it on my kids that they're
not it's that's it's all me, right, we got we

(49:58):
gotta spend a little bit more time with their right.

Speaker 7 (50:00):
It's great of you to admit it.

Speaker 12 (50:03):
Yeah, yeah, exactly right.

Speaker 7 (50:05):
I couldn't the off the clock out headhold, who are
Thank you so much for being online. A little radio
and we will be right back after these messages.

Speaker 2 (50:31):
This is a flashback, welcome back to the joke tape parts.
It's time for chokes up the magnificence.

Speaker 3 (50:55):
Thank you, Ed.

Speaker 1 (50:57):
What is the question?

Speaker 2 (50:58):
We've got questions from Twitter again?

Speaker 7 (51:01):
Follow us on Twitter, Twitter at Cavs.

Speaker 13 (51:04):
Audio Verse at Cavs Audio Verse and Chut Sack the Magnificent.
I'll provide the answer. Moving on, You're killing Alex Toma.

Speaker 2 (51:13):
Alex Toma has asked on Twitter Alex Tomba which Cavalier,
which Cavalier.

Speaker 7 (51:19):
Will lead the team in three point percentage?

Speaker 13 (51:23):
Three point percentage? I'll tell you Wade is on a
is on track. He's shooting sixty five percent from three
point range. But I'm gonna put my hopes in young Garland,
a pure shooter Garland before the season over will leave
this team at three point shooting sad.

Speaker 2 (51:41):
All right, our next chulting sack the Magnificent question. Jeremiah
Jindra asked how many how many points points tonight? Tonight
Well Garland and Mitchell combined, for I.

Speaker 3 (51:55):
Won't answer that.

Speaker 13 (51:56):
That sounds like one of those betting apps right there
to me, the tim.

Speaker 2 (52:01):
Jeremiah Joe Zack Tony's the question thirty five twenty seven
Cavaliers with an eight point lead.

Speaker 7 (52:16):
Now back to Wine and Gold Radio, which, okay, everybody,
and welcome back to mine.

Speaker 9 (52:23):
I'm sorry radio, what I know. My dreams have been crushed?
I mean, yeah, that should be the title of this podcast.
Like we have to come up now with like because
he clearly didn't even allow it. And let me say,
and see doctor Koher is listening to us, let me
say that we never even thought of involving the Cleveld

(52:47):
metro Parks who in our in our in our planet.
But no, the fact that he was very clearly not playing.

Speaker 3 (52:53):
Along with never happened.

Speaker 9 (52:56):
Now it makes me feel like it'd be wrong of
us to continue the campaign for a Monkey halftime show because.

Speaker 3 (53:04):
Of what he just explained to him. Agree, So now
we have to come up with a whole different things.

Speaker 7 (53:08):
I agree.

Speaker 9 (53:09):
I have a different challenge. You need to tell me
who you want on the show, like like off the Wall,
and I'll see if I go get him. Okay, you
know what I mean, because I don't think it's right
for us to go with a with a Monkey halftime.

Speaker 7 (53:19):
Show, my guy.

Speaker 3 (53:20):
You know, I'm working on that one. I'm working on that.
I'm working on that one.

Speaker 7 (53:26):
And then maybe afterwards we can all celebrate.

Speaker 3 (53:31):
Maybe we do it while we'd record.

Speaker 7 (53:33):
That's exactly know what I'll even do it.

Speaker 9 (53:35):
Oh okay, Well then, especially depending on how the election
goes tonight, make.

Speaker 7 (53:40):
It happen and I'll bring I'll bring the party papers
you bring, Bill Walton. Hey, speaking of big parties, we
have the West Coast trip and the biggest party.

Speaker 3 (53:53):
Of the year the day. My parents have been looking
forward to that.

Speaker 9 (53:57):
You don't understand, how Man, not as much as ever
since pandemic and then you were you you were in
there last year like two years. Yeah, so they're really
looking forward to for those You listen and whenever we
go to Sacramento. My mom insists of cooking and my
dad insists on preparing the bar, so we we have
they have I mean, they.

Speaker 3 (54:16):
Really look forward to that day. It's the best.

Speaker 9 (54:19):
The moment the schedule comes out and then he starts
asking the finals are over, and my dad is, I
went to schedule coming out, when are you guys coming.
I'm like that we have to wait for the schedule
so that it's gonna be Sunday, and we should. We're
gonna we're planning to do an episode.

Speaker 3 (54:33):
From the party.

Speaker 9 (54:34):
Absolutely, yeah, And I'm always grateful to ald you guys
for coming because they they really look forward.

Speaker 3 (54:39):
That's like a day they mark in the calendars.

Speaker 7 (54:41):
And well, I love it.

Speaker 3 (54:43):
And not because I'm coming home because you guys are
coming home.

Speaker 7 (54:48):
Day, but that that is the second the road trip first,
like a night or Wednesday night, say, Oklahoma.

Speaker 3 (54:56):
City, tough road treat man.

Speaker 9 (54:57):
We're going to see a really young team here in
Oklahoma right across the street right out of my window.
You know, we check homeground coming back and basically his
rookie season, you know, an all NBA guy in Shay
guildjuice and a good supporting cast. And then we go
to San Francisco, where they have a bone to pick
with us now and that's the only arena I've never

(55:18):
been a really nice arena too, you know, even though
they built a whole broadcasting booth and then the Spanish
table is outside in the whole way.

Speaker 3 (55:26):
So they built a new stadium and they forgot that,
you know whatever.

Speaker 9 (55:30):
So and then we go to Sacramento, which is another
team that is not an easy not an easy bone
to pick there.

Speaker 3 (55:35):
So Portland, you know, its difficult because it's the last
game of the road trip and we all want to go.
We're like halfway home already.

Speaker 15 (55:43):
And you know, so and it's a differents always a
tough spot, as JB said, and I always said the
first full season that JB had that we travel when
we started remembering in Denver and then we went to
play the back to back in LA and we won
the first two games, and I will never forget.

Speaker 3 (55:59):
We were practicing at USC and.

Speaker 9 (56:03):
Everybody was making fun of Kay Love because they have
a picture of I think it was the Martin Rosan who.

Speaker 3 (56:07):
Was blocking him or somebody.

Speaker 9 (56:10):
Somebody was like, it's a picture in the in the
in the USC gym and then but I remember j
be telling the guy because everybody was so happy, go
lucky because we have one beat Denver and we beat
the Clippers the night before, and he was like, listen, guys,
I want you to remember that we are going to
hit a skid in the season and this is that's
the time when you guys got to remember this moment
because no, no finger pointing, No, we all lose together too.

(56:32):
So he always mentioned the fact that the team bonding
it happens here on the road and this long road
tet we share meals, you know, and all that. So
I'm really looking forward to see how, how, how how
we come out of this, and its just as long
as we're healthy. And I think that's what that's the
only thing I think they're looking for right here.

Speaker 7 (56:51):
And that's a really good point about bonding in that
this team, you know, I mean, they still they still
have I don't say issues, but they still have to
get their chemistry is still.

Speaker 3 (57:00):
There's two big pieces that were adding pieces.

Speaker 7 (57:03):
So I mean a nice we can have road trip
is really actually real good for what they're going through
right now, just to kind.

Speaker 9 (57:09):
Of and I'm happy for my dude, my guy man
the El Wolverine, Carris LeVert, He's the only guy I
have a campaign.

Speaker 3 (57:18):
I'm asking for a friend, Like, how come when he starts?

Speaker 9 (57:21):
Darius Garland is from Vanderbilt, and Isaac Okoro is from Auburn,
and Jared Allen is from Texas and Mobile is from
USC and then Carris LeVert is from Columbus, Ohio.

Speaker 7 (57:31):
Because Michigan is cheaters.

Speaker 3 (57:35):
Oh my god, they might suspend Khaki Pants. They're thinking
they might suspend him.

Speaker 7 (57:39):
He doesn't care. He's going to the project.

Speaker 3 (57:41):
That's how much they want to help you. Ohio State.

Speaker 9 (57:43):
They already gave me the number one ranking and they
put Michigan three so they don't have to worry about
facing them again. And then and then and then now
they might suspend Kaki Pants for the for the for
the USC for the Ohio State game. Michigan is going
to walk all over them.

Speaker 7 (57:59):
I hate agree. I think they're gonna I think they
might get Yeah, I think they might be. They're just bucket.
This is not the Buckeyes.

Speaker 13 (58:06):
Here.

Speaker 7 (58:07):
They have probably the best wide receiver in the he's cool,
He's like, yeah, but they don't have all the team
like they.

Speaker 9 (58:13):
Have speaking of a guy that we're trying to get
reflow and and the means he has that beat the
bit or like the Lamborghini or some car.

Speaker 3 (58:22):
Parking And.

Speaker 7 (58:27):
That's my, that's my that's my, my second on my
list for you.

Speaker 3 (58:31):
Yeah, we get in replog because I love that guy.

Speaker 7 (58:33):
Yeah, we get really funny.

Speaker 3 (58:35):
Man.

Speaker 7 (58:35):
Hey, why don't we say some goodbyes, some thank yous
and get the hell out of here, Get out of
here and uh go eat a nice pregame meal or
a team dinner.

Speaker 3 (58:44):
Yeah, we gotta go bonding.

Speaker 7 (58:46):
We got a bond. Yeah, we have to thank uh
bj Evans always who hooks us up with all our
our player guests and everything like that. Uh, and he
runs the department and he's right on, He's right on, man,
he runs with boom. We have to think slinging Sammy,
our fifty year senior who is really a friend of
the show.

Speaker 3 (59:06):
And by the way, we want to help us out.
We're really thrill that.

Speaker 9 (59:10):
Obviously we're sad of all the people that lost their
lives and had their lives change in Maine and it's
sitting in Sammy is from Maine and his family were
there in lockdown for a couple of day and really
close to the thing. So you know, we're really thrill
and happy that his family is okay, but also praying that.

Speaker 3 (59:26):
Obviously, what if the onion says when they when something.

Speaker 7 (59:29):
Nobody prevent this from hap his only country where it's
just sad, but it's really bad. But we're happy that everybody,
at least that we know, happy Sam's family. Yes, definitely,
we have to think the Sophomore of the Year. I
don't think anybody's even going the challenge. I think Devin
Booker is.

Speaker 3 (59:46):
Yeah, but Jeromi, you forgot Cheami.

Speaker 7 (59:49):
I did forget your own. He's going to be a
d and he's ready.

Speaker 3 (59:52):
I saw up, you're gonna be a going to be
at that again.

Speaker 7 (59:54):
Graduations to Sharoma. I love Cherome. He is he's the
king man. I mean, no thing goes without straw.

Speaker 3 (01:00:01):
He's a Jets fan.

Speaker 7 (01:00:03):
He's not a Jets fans, Yeah, he's But Rubby is
the guy. He's the straw, the stars, the drink. We
gotta think Joe Fritchen one of your bosses, Uh, you're
you're nice boss.

Speaker 3 (01:00:16):
To make boo bangs.

Speaker 7 (01:00:18):
Who who crushes you and keeps you keeps you under
the pub where you belong.

Speaker 3 (01:00:23):
But he said, good cup, back off.

Speaker 7 (01:00:29):
We have to thank the best human being in Cleveland,
Lucy Verus. Lucy is the best. She's the best. I
had something bad happened to me recently, and I was
switching my bags for the road, and Lucy had left
the little note She's the best. Really, she is the best.

Speaker 11 (01:00:46):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (01:00:46):
And then of course the best male in Cleveland, d
macd the ones the department of the video department with
the cookie fan. I'll tell you so we have d Mack.
And then of course, of course the dynamic duo of
Dirty Kurt and the bed guy Marty Allen. Hang on,

(01:01:08):
keep talking for a second. I'm gonna go look at
the bath. They'll be Dad here, no beddeve, Marty Allen. Sorry,
it's it's not gonna work out here. Maybe the next stop.
But thanks to Marty Allen.

Speaker 3 (01:01:28):
We'll see you from Sacramento.

Speaker 7 (01:01:30):
You're from Zacramento. We'll check in later on this week
and as always, good night, Freddy Mack.

Speaker 5 (01:01:38):
Jr.

Speaker 1 (01:01:39):
Wide open up, suptious time after to try.

Speaker 4 (01:01:49):
You're listening to Wine and Gold radio.

Speaker 3 (01:01:51):
Oh my goodness, what is hopefully sucks.

Speaker 4 (01:01:58):
S America a

Speaker 5 (01:02:11):
Yo