I am interested in a lot of things - not just show business and my passion for animals. I try to keep current in what's going on in the world. I do mental exercises. I don't have any trouble memorizing lines because of the crossword puzzles I do every day to keep my mind a little limber. I don't sit and vegetate.

I always wanted to be a zookeeper when I was growing up and I've wound up a zookeeper! I've been working with the Los Angeles Zoo for 45 years! I'm the luckiest old broad on two feet because my life is divided absolutely in half - half animals and half show business. You can't ask for better than two things you love the most.

Teach your children how to behave with animals. Adopt a pet. Don't go buy one. Please. That's a sin. Let's get these puppy mills out of business.

All animals except man know that the principal business of life is to enjoy it.

The best thing about animals is that they don't talk much.

At his best man is the noblest of all animals separated from law and justice he is the worst.

Well I do find the beauty in animals. I find beauty everywhere. I find beauty in my garden.

I gave my beauty and my youth to men. I am going to give my wisdom and experience to animals.

Animals have a much better attitude to life and death than we do. They know when their time has come. We are the ones that suffer when they pass but it's a healing kind of grief that enables us to deal with other griefs that are not so easy to grab hold of.

Even if people do wrong we're social animals so what can we do about stopping them doing the same things in future? Saying people are 'bad' or 'evil' is just an unwillingness to engage an unwillingness to try to empathise. That sanctimonious attitude doesn't help anyone.

Turns out I couldn't catch them - or even get close to them. I realized that sharks are amazing beautiful animals who have absolutely no interest in checking me out.