He delivered a giraffe, saved a sea lion – now, Riverbanks’ Satch Krantz is retiring

One of Satch Krantz’s favorite parts of his job is seeing visitors experience a new Riverbanks Zoo exhibit for the first time.

It’s one he’s enjoyed several times as president and CEO of Riverbanks, leading three major expansions that have tranformed it into one of the largest mid-sized zoos in the country. With 2,200-plus animals and an estimated 1.4 million visitors by the end of the fiscal year – a new record – the zoo is also South Carolina’s top tourist attraction.

“To watch people come in and see a new exhibit for the first time is always exciting,” Krantz said.

Friday, the 67-year-old Krantz will take his final stroll through Riverbanks as its leader. After 44 years with the zoo – 41 at the helm – he will retire, noting at the time of his announcement earlier this year, “it’s time.” A successor has not been named.

His strolls are part of a daily routine, which includes getting in early, grabbing coffee and checking emails, then taking a walk through the zoo at least twice a day.

A recent walk included a stop at the Galapagos pen. Stepping over the fence and, with a huge smile, he picked up small and medium tortoises. He scratched the giant tortoise under the chin as if it were a cat.

“This tortoise is 100 years old,” he said to a young girl standing nearby.

“Gol-lly!” she yelled.

While working with animals was a primary reason for joining the zoo, he said he doesn’t get to interact with them as much these days.

“I used to be more hands-on with the animals but now I think it’s my job to look at the zoo the way our visitors look at it,” he said, stopping briefly in front of the zoo’s grizzly bear and river otter exhibits. “That means noticing any cobwebs, chipped paint or cracks in the sidewalk.”

After graduating in 1972 from Clemson with a zoology degree, the Columbia native was hired at Riverbanks in 1973 as the animal hospital supervisor. Three years later, at age 26, he was promoted to executive director (now president and CEO).

When he took the helm, zoo growth was still very much a grassroots effort. “It was not the Riverbanks Zoo we know today,” Krantz said.

That modern-day zoo didn’t “really begin” until the 1980s – specifically 1986, when Krantz convinced Richland and Lexington counties to grant a bond issue that enabled the first zoo expansion. That completed project in 1989 resulted in an expanded entrance, Kenya Cafe, and Riverbanks Farm and Aquarium Reptile Complex. There have been two expansions since, the most recent a roughly $36 million project completed last year.

“Satch made the zoo,” former Columbia mayor Bob Coble once said. “He was always very strong in fighting for funding for the zoo. He always had the community’s best interest at heart.”

Another key effort in growing Riverbanks was the zoo society. It started in 1976 with 200 member households. The question for Krantz at the time was, how do you get a zoo membership application into the hands of everyone in Columbia?

“I thought, well, everyone gets a water bill,” Krantz said.

After convincing the water company to pair zoo applications with every water bill, zoo membership jumped by several thousand within a year. Today, there are more than 43,000 member households.

From the start, though, Krantz’s goals were about more than increasing membership and attendance. He also had deep concern for the animals.

Ed Diebold, director of Riverbanks’ Animal Collections and Conservation, met Krantz 38 years ago when Diebold started as a zookeeper at the St. Louis Zoo in 1979. The two got to know each other better after Diebold moved to Milwaukee in 1986 as the curator of birds there.

“My colleague and friend, Bob Seibels had been the curator of birds at Riverbanks for some time and had served as the Species Survival Plan (SSP) Coordinator for the Bali Mynah since its inception in 1980,” Diebold said. “This was the first SSP for a bird species and, not only did this SSP ensure the careful genetic and demographic management of the population in North American zoos, but it had a field conservation component in Bali (captive breeding and reintroduction of birds to the wild, including an in-country conservation center at Bali Barat National Park) that was ahead of its time.

“I was always very impressed with this fact and the reputation of Riverbanks,” Diebold said, “and Satch’s leadership was one of the main reasons that I chose to move here in 1995.”

Recently, the zoo renamed its conservation fund for Krantz in tribute to his 44 years of “outstanding service and his passion for saving species” and in honor of “his knowledge and guidance, which have been instrumental in the zoo’s success and Riverbanks’ role as a global leader in wildlife conservation.”

Krantz – the nation’s longest-serving zoo director – has received numerous such accolades.

“Satch is the only zoo director to be elected twice as chair of the AZA’s board of directors, which is a testament to the tremendous respect his colleagues have for him,” said Kris Vehrs, interim president and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. “Satch has demonstrated great passion for improving the AZA’s animal sustainability programs and has been integral in moving those programs forward. In 2013, he was awarded the prestigious R. Marlin Perkins award for professional excellence, the highest honor bestowed upon a zoo professional by the AZA.”

He also recently received the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor in South Carolina, in recognition of his achievements and contributions to the state.

Those contributions include making Riverbanks an economic force for the Columbia area. Krantz noted in a 2015 interview that the zoo generated more than $60 million in sales annually and created more than 700 jobs. Economic figures for 2016 were not immediately available.

“There is no question that Satch’s unwavering commitment to Riverbanks and our community will have an impact for generations to come,” said Mary Howard, chair of Riverbanks Park Commission. “With Satch’s oversight, the zoo has become a cherished place where families and schoolchildren can experience and connect with the natural world. He is a true visionary, a profound leader and he will leave behind a legacy that is second to none.”

Krantz will leave his zoo behind at the end of the day Friday. After he retires, he and his wife will move to a new home on the South Carolina coast where Krantz plans to “relax and play a lot of golf.”

He’ll take a lot of memories from what he calls a sometimes “wacky business.”

Among memorable experiences:

“I got called out here at 2 a.m. once for a pregnant giraffe. It was pre-cell phones and the vet couldn’t get a hold of anyone else. So the vet and I delivered a giraffe at 3:30 a.m.”

“Another time a sea lion gave birth – we didn’t know she was pregnant. Her calf fell into the pool and sank straight to the bottom. There’s a photo of me somewhere in a shirt and tie jumping into the pool to get the calf.”

His best day?

“There have been many, but I’ll never forget the day the tigers arrived here. This would have been 1975, our first tigers arrived and those were our first big animals here. They were charismatic, and I just remember that that was pretty cool.”

But there’s one thing he will miss most.

“It’s the people,” he said. “That’s what I’ll miss the most. Those looks of awe and excitement. Those smiles and seeing the kids’ faces light up. All of that is what I’m going to remember the most when I look back at my time here.”　

There’s a lot to be thankful for, too.

“The journey has been incredible,” Krantz said. “In the beginning, the zoo’s future was at many times in doubt, but with increasing public support and opportunities for development, we began to gain momentum – and our progress has not slowed.”

This story was originally published June 29, 2017 at 4:24 PM with the headline "He delivered a giraffe, saved a sea lion – now, Riverbanks’ Satch Krantz is retiring."