INTERVIEW
THE BIG
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EDUCATION AND CONSERVATION ARE THE TWO KEY PIVOTS OF ANY GOOD ZOO. WE MAY TRY AND ACHIEVE CONSERVATION BUT IT IS OUR EDUCATORS THAT TELL EVERYBODY WHAT WE ARE DOING AND WHY
We reinvest so much into the business
that neither Lynn nor I have drawn a realistic salary since we began. We just look forward to a holiday each year when our daughter takes over the reins for a short learning period while we go and explore a jungle somewhere, such as in the heart of Guyana.
What do you enjoy most about running your own business? Surprisingly not a lot, especially as we have grown and evolved. The whole responsibility of health & safety, looking after the workforce, new and changing legislation, the improving social requirements for visitors and the constantly improving welfare requirements for exhibiting livestock all add up. The moral and ethical requirements of running the zoo and the
34 SME
constant interaction with visitors and giving them a chance to express their opinion and influence us is very time consuming. But it’s good to know we have created a haven for people to come and enjoy some of the wildlife we have here and seeing some of our different animals.
What are your main attractions? Over the years are main attractions have changed. The most important one – and really is our USP – is the mythological “Exmoor beast”. The romanticism and the folklore associated with the possibility of a big cat or carnivore being out there has stimulated lots of stories and media interest. Even today we get asked if we have our big cats (black leopards or puma) in their enclosures or if they have escaped, usually by people phoning in after they have had a close encounter
with an unusual animal in the area. More recently we have taken in
Russian origin grey wolves – they’re the ones that ate Red Riding Hood’s grandmother… They are brothers and are part of a behaviour study by Stockholm University looking at the differences in development between domestic dogs and wolves as they grow. The university has been here three times now to continue its research. Our favourites must be our most recent
addition – Wild African Hunting Dogs. Having been lucky enough to see these dogs hunt in the wild it is a real privilege to be a member of the captive breeding programme helping to protect them.
How important are your breeding programmes? Which ones have been particularly successful?
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