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March 17, 2008 – Gainesville, TX: In honor of Frank Buck’s birthday the Frank Buck Zoo of Gainesville, TX will be celebrating with “one buck” admission from everyone that comes through the gate, cupcakes while they last, and the opening of a brand new Frank Buck exhibit funded by the Frank Buck Zoological Society. The is the only known Frank Buck exhibit in the world. Items for the exhibit were donated by Frank Buck’s family who still reside in Texas today. |
Zoo Director, Susan Kleven, arranged for the exhibit to be assembled and housed at the Frank Buck Zoo in Gainesville after meeting Frank Buck’s daughter Barbara at the zoo’s annual Zoobilee fundraiser hosted by the Zoological Society. Barbara was so impressed by the zoo named for her father and the community of Gainesville she decided there was no better place to exhibit her father’s legacy. The exhibit will commemorate the life and times of Gainesville native, Frank “Bring Em’ Back Alive” Buck, who is considered a pioneer of the zoo world. He captured alive many species of animals using traps and snares to prevent injury to the animals. He relied heavily on the help of native peoples, establishing an animal compound in Singapore, from which he shipped animals to zoos in the United States and eventually throughout the world.
In 1934 Frank Buck’s Jungle Camp exhibit at the World’s Fair in Chicago was visited and enjoyed by over 2 million people and his 1940 Jungleland exhibit at the World’s Fair in New York was visited and enjoyed by over 3 million people.
Frank Buck collaborated with three different authors on eight books during his lifetime including: Bring Em’ Back Alive (1930), Wild Cargo (1932), Fang and Claw (1935), a novel Tim Thompson in the Jungle (1935), On Jungle Trails (1937), autobiography All in a Lifetime (1941), and an illustrated children’s book Jungle Animals (1945). His autobiography All in a Lifetime was for many years required reading for sixth graders in the Texas Public School system.
Frank Buck’s 1932 film version of Bring Em’ Back Alive was considered a blockbuster, 82,660 people saw the film during the first week of release. Beating the previous record held by the movie Frankenstein. Frank Bucks other film credits included Wild Cargo (1934), Fang and Claw (1935), Jungle Menace (1937), Jungle Cavalcade (1941), Jacare (1942) Abbott & Costello’s Africa Screams (1949).
Frank Buck’s celebrity became so great that he became the most in-demand radio guest in the Untied States. His pith helmet and the phrase “Bring ‘Em back Alive” became the symbols of his celebrity. In 1948 he revisited Gainesville where he acted as honorary ring master to the Gainesville Community Circus.
Frank Buck concentrated on capturing and preserving the world’s wildlife. His efforts played a large role in making American’s aware of how important it is to conserve the vast treasure that is our native wildlife. He placed animals into environments in which they could breed and propagate without the threat of extinction. Thus Frank Buck was one of the first wildlife conservationist.
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For more information about the Frank Buck Zoo visit www.frankbuckzoo.com
