Q&A with Wildlife Madagascar’s 300th Member: Kathi Diamant
Tell us a little about yourself and your career.
I have been blessed with a varied and eclectic life and career. I was born in New York City in 1952 to parents in the theatre, grew up in post-war landscapes in France, Germany, and South Korea, with a three-year stint in Atlanta, Georgia in the mid-1960s, during desegregation of the schools. I have been able to feel history happening around me. My career has been all over the place, too: I am an actor, freelance journalist, author, researcher, TV host and interviewer, public speaker and moderator, adjunct professor, and teacher of Tai Chi and Qigong. At least those are the jobs I admit to.
What do you love most about your work?
Variety! I enjoy communicating and collaborating with others in various fields. I love that I have become proficient in my chosen activities–since I’ve had the time to practice them all.
What subjects or people have you most enjoyed covering in your work?
The most rewarding has been the research and writing of two biographies, by far the hardest work I’ve done. With the biographies, I have been able to experience the lives of extraordinary people, to learn from their challenges and achievements, which has served to enrich my own life. With my first biography, Kafka’s Last Love, I delved deeply into history, and was able to meet remarkable individuals who lived through WWII in Europe, and uncover ongoing mysteries we are still working to solve, including finding a missing literary treasure. With my second biography, Heart of the Zoo, I was able to explore the history of the San Diego Zoo from the perspective of its longest-serving employee, Chuck Bieler, who served as the Zoo’s director for many years, and who helped change zoo practices worldwide.
What draws you to support wildlife and conservation?
I remember my first zoo visit to the Frankfurt Zoo in the 1950s, and the wonder of the polar bears and the flamingos there. As the co-host of Sun Up San Diego in the 1980s, we welcomed Zoo animals every week to our show, and I learned so much about the different animals over those eight years. Afterwards, I was a regular contributor to ZOONOOZ and Koala Club, and was able to understand more. In the process of writing Heart of the Zoo, my exposure to wildlife conservation deepened as I learned the history and plight of endangered species.
Who or what inspires you?
As it relates to Wildlife Madagascar: Debra Erickson! I do have a pantheon of heroes and heroines, but I find that most of my inspiration these days comes from sitting in my garden, surrounded by nature, watching the butterflies, hummingbirds, my cats playing, and letting my mind wander freely.
What are a couple of your most memorable travel experiences?
Just two? Impossible. I’ve been traveling my whole life—first transatlantic airplane flight in 1953, and three Atlantic Ocean crossings by ship from Germany to America and back by the time I was 11 years old. In high school in South Korea, I was a member of the Travel & Culture Club, which took me not only to exotic locations throughout that country, but also to Japan, Taiwan, and China. In 1974, I traveled with a friend through the former Soviet Union by Trans-Siberian Railway, and spent three months backpacking there, including visits to Uzbekistan and Ukraine. In my research for Kafka’s Last Love, I spent four months in Berlin in 1998, researching Gestapo archives, and traveled many times to England, France, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Israel. All of those trips have been memorable!
Why did you become a member of Wildlife Madagascar? What about this organization is meaningful to you?
I joined Wildlife Madagascar because of the passion and dedication of Debra Erickson, and her army of supporters, including board members Georgeanne Irvine and Angel Chambosse. These women are phenomenal achievers, and I am happy to be associated with them and their work. I am looking forward to learning more about the achievements from the past two years, and becoming a more involved member going forward.