Zoo Zoo (Wildlife Conservation Society) leading the discussion. From then on, zoo professionals became increasingly aware of the need to engage themselves in conservation programs, and the American Zoo Association soon said that conservation was its highest priority. In order to stress conservation issues, many large zoos stopped the practice of having animals perform tricks for visitors. The Detroit Zoo, for example, stopped its elephant show in 1969, and its chimpanzee show in 1983, acknowledging that the trainers had probably abused the animals to get them to perform. Whipsnade Park in Bedfordshire, England, was opened in 1931 as the first safari
Gerald Durrell faced in this period can be found in "Fillets of Plaice". His call-up for the war came in 1943, but he was exempted from military duty on medical grounds, and asked to serve the war effort by working on a farm. After the war, Durrell joined Whipsnade Zoo as a junior or student keeper. This move fulfilled a lifelong dream: Durrell claims in "The Stationary Ark" that the first word that he could enunciate with any clarity was "zoo". "Beasts in My Belfry" recalls events of this period. Durrell left Whipsnade Zoo in May 1946 in order to join wildlife