The Oklahoma City Zoological Trust tried to keep Executive Director Bert Castro at the city zoo, but could not counter the Phoenix zoo's offer, trust chairman Dick Beshear said.

Castro, who has headed the city zoo for nearly seven years, was approached by Phoenix officials last year. He will take over as chief executive at that park Feb. 1.

"I think Bert's done a fine job," Beshear said. "His fingerprints are all over the zoo, from the most recent exhibit, Oklahoma Trails, to some of the other smaller exhibits around the zoo. ... Bert assembled a fine staff and we've got a good plan going forward, so I'm very excited about the prospects of the zoo, although I'm sorry to see Bert go.

"But he got a very good offer at Phoenix, one we couldn't compete with," he said. Castro was paid about $133,000 annually in Oklahoma City. His Phoenix contract figure was unavailable Wednesday.

Beshear and others have praised Castro for his work, citing the zoo's centennial celebration, the new lorikeet exhibit, children's jungle gym playground and, most recently, the $10 million Oklahoma Trails exhibit. Officials confirmed that many employees signed a letter asking Castro to stay.

Castro leaves the zoo in good order, Beshear said, and his successor should be able to take up the park's master development plan already in place.

"A zoo director's job is more than just being the curator in charge of a collection of animals. In our case, we've got $20 (million) to $25 million in improvements that we'll be building at the zoo in the next five years," he said. The new Children's is scheduled to open in mid-2009. An Asian exhibit will follow in 2011. "So we want to see someone who has the experience and background to bring some major exhibits online. "

Beshear said the next director will need strong interpersonal skills to work with city officials, the governing trust, and the Oklahoma Zoological Society, a private nonprofit group that administers zoo membership and deals with zoo donations.

A national search for Castro's successor will begin shortly after the trust's next meeting Jan. 16, Beshear said.

In the meantime, the trust chose Brian Aucone, director of animal management, as interim director, effective Friday. Aucone joined the zoo in 2003 as curator of reptiles, amphibians and aquatics and was promoted to his current position in 2006. He oversees the zoo's collection of more than 2,000 animals.

Beshear said Aucone was not named to the search committee because he is welcome to apply for the job himself.

Source: Brian Brus
Contact: Zoo Public Relations