Hi guys, thought i'd post a quick introduction as i've finally gotten round to signing up after a year or so of visiting the site! I think its fair to say that i'm a zoo nerd so I find this group, and many of the opinions expressed within, really interesting. I've been an avid zoo goer for about 30 years (one of my first memories is feeding the elephants at London Zoo when I was 3!) and for the past 12 years have been involved in zoos on a professional basis. My main interests are what many collections now refer to as 'lower vertebrates' (with amphibians being pretty much at the top of my list), and exhibit design / interpretation. Over the years i've grown increasingly critical and cynical about the actual role that some of our zoos play but i'm a firm believer in the potential of zoos and remain ever optimistic that they will continue to evolve into the 'catalysts for conservation' that some authors claim! I reckon ive visited pretty much all of the collections in mainland UK over the years as well as about 40 others in Europe, Malaysia, Australasia, Canada, and West Africa. I've yet to find the perfect zoo (not sure that it exists....yet) and look forward to some interesting discussions with the rest of the group here on zoobeat.