MAY 27 • 2021 | 15

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I

can’t remember a time
when I wasn’t in love with
nature and critters,
” said
Ron Kagan, executive director/
CEO of the Detroit Zoological
Society (DZS), when I asked
how far back his passion for
animals went. It was the first
question I posed to Kagan, 69,
during our recent phone con-
versation to discuss the major
change coming in his life.
Kagan officially announced
his retirement earlier this year
after an illustrious and trans-
formative 28-year run at the
helm of Detroit’s zoo. For now,
he’ll remain with the DZS until
a search committee identifies
his successor, which is expected
to be sometime this summer.
The number of accomplish-
ments during his tenure may be
matched only by the number of
species represented at the zoo
— which is around 300, to help
spare you the trouble of count-
ing the next time you visit.
Under Kagan’s care, zoo
attendance has doubled, and
memberships have tripled.
Currently, guests are asked
to schedule a time slot prior to
their visit at detroitzoo.org/
reservations to help main-
tain capacity limits amid the
COVID pandemic.
During the Kagan era,
Detroit’s zoo has been named
the greenest zoo in the nation
by the Association of Zoos
and Aquariums (AZA) and
has received the highest rating
from Charity Navigator, plac-
ing it in the top 3% of all U.S.
charities.
Then, there are the inno-
vative, iconic exhibits opened
under his leadership that
have raised the bar for zoos,
including the Arctic Ring of

Life (at its opening, the world’s
largest polar bear exhibit),
the National Amphibian
Conservation Center, the Polk
Penguin Conservation Center
and the Holtzman Wildlife
Foundation Red Panda Forest.

LOVE FOR WINKY
AND WANDA
It wouldn’t surprise anyone
who knows Kagan that he
might consider the exhibit he
was responsible for closing to
be among his biggest accom-
plishments. In 2004, sighting
the deteriorating physical and
mental conditions of the zoo’s
aging, treasured elephants,
Winky and Wanda, Kagan
arranged for their relocation.
In 2005, they were moved to an
animal sanctuary in California

that provided them the room
and natural habitat to live out
their lives in comfort. They did
so until their passing — Winky
at 56 in 2008, Wanda at 57 in
2015.
The effort initially received
pushback, even by zoo asso-
ciations, but there was no
compromise for Kagan when
it came to the ethical welfare
of the pair of pachyderms. For
persevering, he received high
praise from an unlikely source
to side with a zoo — PETA,
the People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals. Kagan
maintains a close relationship
with the organization in their
animal rescue efforts.
“I think people don’t realize
that, in some ways, we’re like
a healthcare system,
” Kagan

says about his philosophy of
running the zoo and caring for
the animals. “We have several
thousand individuals, and we
treat them like individuals.
The difference between us
and a healthcare system is
that we’ve got like 300, maybe
more different species. So, with
healthcare, frankly, it’s easy. It’s
one species. All humans. For
us, the complexity is multiplied
by 300.
”

REASON FOR RETIREMENT
Turns out nothing specific is
pulling Kagan away from the
place that has been his beloved
home for nearly three decades.
It just seemed to be the right
time.
“Is it the right time to write
a book,
” I asked? “There have
been several people wanting
me either to write a book or
they want me to let them write
a book. But I don’t know,
”
Kagan said, deferring that
decision. “I might continue to
do some film work,
” he added.
Kagan has been involved in
several documentaries.
I did end up learning
about one zoological project
Kagan’s fully committed to in
retirement and one surprising
sports passion he may delve
back into when, as I suggested,
he’s “let back out into the wild.”
More on that later. But first,
a look at the intriguing life
journey of one of the country’s
most innovative and respected
zoologists.

BIT BY THE ANIMAL BUG
Was a dog bite Kagan suffered
really the inspiration for his
zoology career? He can’t say
for certain, but the story he
shared about one such bite was

A Friend
to the
Animals …
and Other
Inspiring
‘Tales’

UNDER KAGAN’S CARE, ZOO
ATTENDANCE HAS DOUBLED,
AND MEMBERSHIPS
HAVE TRIPLED.

BY JERRY ZOLYNSKY

DETROIT ZOO

Zoo Tower