by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Dennis Pate goes to work daily, but he doesn’t monkey around — unless of course he’s assisting with the Great Apes exhibit at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.
Pate’s served as executive director since 2002 and has been a part of zoo culture in different regions of the U.S. since the 1970s, serving in every imaginable role as he made his way up the ladder from graduate assistant to animal keeper to curator to executive director.
Being a part of zoos and dealing with animals is something Pate said he’s always known he wanted to do.
“I was no different than other children who loved animals and wanted to grow up and help them,” he said. “I just ended up keeping with it.”
Recently, Pate was elected to join the 2008–09 Association of Zoo and Aquariums’ Board of Directors, the country’s leading accrediting and policy setting organization for zoos and aquariums.
He’s chaired the accreditation committee in the past, but being on a board of directors that influences facilities and organizations of his lifelong passion is special to him, he said.
Pate’s time at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has produced results at the gates and in the facility’s coffers. Since he arrived, attendance has risen 40 percent, the budget has doubled and attractions such as the Botanical Gardens have been added to increase visitor appeal.
His office is filled with many of his interests in the animal kingdom including pictures and books of birds lining his walls and bookshelves, knickknacks he’s collected over the years and folders with a wealth of animal information.
Each piece has a story behind it, which is how Pate likes to see the zoo.
“Every place is a learning place,” he said, referring to one of his mottos. “If you walk around the zoo, plants, animals, everything has information on it.”
One of his time-consuming projects is helping in development of the zoo’s upcoming attractions – the Asian Bamboo Gardens and Komodo Dragons exhibit – scheduled to open in 2009.
He enjoys his position greatly but has only one slight regret, which goes back to his roots in the business.
“I miss the interaction with the animals that I used to have as an animal keeper,” he said. “I love watching the trainers interacting now... the trust they build.”
Still, he’s happy and doesn’t see himself leaving the zoo’s confines anytime soon.
“I don’t see myself leaving Jacksonville,” he said. “I mean, it could happen. You never know, but I am happy.”
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