Thane Maynard

Thane Maynard is an American zookeeper and author who currently serves as the Director of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.^[1]^[2] He is also an author and the host of The 90-Second Naturalist,^[3] a 1½-minute radio program played on Cincinnati Public Radio stations WGUC and WVXU.^[4] Often appearing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Maynard has also been featured on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and CBS This Morning.^[5] He is actively involved in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and is a member of Leadership Cincinnati Class XVII, The Hillside Trust, and The Ohio Chapter of TNC.

When Harambe, a male 17-year-old Silverback gorilla, was shot dead after a 3-year-old boy managed to slip into the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, Maynard justified the killing of the gorilla because he felt the child's life was in serious danger. Animal rights groups and others have questioned both the adequacy of the enclosure and the necessity for killing the gorilla. Thayne defended this dedication publicly to much controversy.^[6]

Maynard is co-author with Jane Goodall and Gail Hudson of Hope for Animals and Their World: How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink.^[7]

References

^ Janine Thompson (April 27, 2008). "Fur Ball". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved May 13, 2008. Thane Maynard, executive director of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, received the P.B. Johnston Humane Care Award for his dedication to the welfare of animals.
^ David Gonzalez (June 26, 1996). "About New York; So Her Place is a Zoo? Guests Love It". The New York Times. Retrieved May 13, 2008. The animals were in town for, what else, a media event. Ms. Yecies's public relations company was promoting a habitat preservation program of the World Wildlife Fund and Barnum's Animal Crackers. Thane Maynard, who works with the animals at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, had brought them for some promotional events but learned that his usual hotel had no vacancies, and others he tried did not welcome four-legged wildlife.
^ Henry Fountain (September 10, 2006). "Homo Sapiens, Star of the Wildlife Show". The New York Times.
^ :: Welcome To The Cincinnati Zoo :: Archived October 9, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
^ WGUC 90.9 FM | Hosts | Thane Maynard Archived August 7, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
^ "Cincinnati Police Are Investigating Family After Boy Falls Into Gorilla Enclosure'". The New York Times. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
^ "Jane Goodall Sees 'Hope For Animals'". "All Things Considered". NPR. 13 September 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2016.