Paul Calvert questions Liz Kaufman who is staff veterinarian at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, about their conservation work and education programmes.

Paul: It must be really exiting for a child to be able to stand next to a shark?

Liz: Oh the kids love it. Their favourite, I think, is the Nemo tank. We don't even call them clown fish. In another of couple of weeks we have got Dory's going into the Nemo tank, because you can't have Nemo without Dory.
I imagine the zoo is the only way that members of the public can see these kind of animals and fish close up. Unless they travel around the world, these will be animals they don't see anywhere.

Paul: Do you have international co-operation with other organisations?

Liz: Yes we are part of several international organisations. The World Association of Zoos and Aquaria, the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria and our senior staff goes back and forth to conferences all the time.

Also, it's the internet age so any time you have a question there are several different pages where you can post a question and you will get answers from all over the world, from people who have experience with whatever your question might be. Or sometimes they will say "Let us know how it works for you because we haven't tried that." This happens more so with the aquarium, because fish medicine is where bird medicine was 35 years ago. All the time people are making husbandry advances and welfare advances for mammals and fish.

Paul: What is your favourite animal?

Liz: I had the privilege of bottle feeding a baby leopard and a baby tiger at home and that was pretty special. I also like elephants because they are really smart. I am beginning to get really fond of trigger fish.

I have been at the aquarium for the last two years and there is surprisingly a lot of fish that have great personalities. They will come and take food from your fingers, especially trigger fish. When they take food from your finger they will tilt their heads and look at your finger and say "Huh, that looks good too," so you have to get your finger out really fast.

Paul: Can people adopt an animal from the zoo?

Liz: Both places for sure you can, we have had many animals adopted at both the zoo and the aquarium, often for an event. We have a lion named after a Rabbi I think from somewhere in the United States. I don't think they all get named, but we definitely have plaques of people who have adopted sharks or rays or an exhibit.

Paul: And what is your website for people who would like to know more?

Liz: www.jerusalemzoo.org.il or search for Jerusalem Biblical Zoo in Google.