This clouded leopard looks friendly enough. But what you don’t see is its living tranquilizer—a golden retriever just off camera, raised from birth with the leopard to help it learn to deal with humans. Without the dog, the leopard would be too agitated to get near a person, much less sit for a photo shoot.
That’s just one of the tricks Tom Fetter has picked up since his appointment last January to a yearlong term as president of the San Diego Zoological Society, parent organization of the San Diego Zoo. Fetter’s responsibilities include overseeing 1,900 acres of zoo and wild animal park containing thousands of the world’s rarest animals, from California condors to Komodo dragons. The assignment, though, is ultimately a suit job. “You cut a lot of ribbons and kiss babies and shake hands and try to raise money,” says Fetter, who majored in biological sciences before adding degrees in business and law. “It’s sort of like being the president of any nonprofit.” As long as you’ve got a golden retriever nearby.
