Paradise Wildlife Park & The Big Cat Sanctuary

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by Paradise Wildlife Park & The Big Cat Sanctuary's best practice article

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from Paradise Wildlife Park & The Big Cat Sanctuary is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett

Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles

www.pwpark.com

1PARADISE WILDLIFE PARK & THE BIG CAT SANCTUARY |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE

Managing Director Peter

Sampson

Peter with daughter Lynn,

CEO, grandsons Aaron,

Tyler, Cameron and Scott

and Carly, PA

Peter Sampson purchased Broxbourne Zoo on April 1,

1984, which at the time was widely regarded as the worst

zoo in Britain. He has since transformed the site into

Paradise Wildlife Park – a modern, successful, conservation and

education-led zoo. The park became a full charity on January

1, 2017, and is now operated by the Zoological Society of

Hertfordshire. Peter tells

The Parliamentary Review

more about

his team’s focus on animal welfare and conservation.

In the past 35 years, our team have undertaken great strides to improve animal

welfare. We have established an enviable reputation for breeding endangered

species, have founded a number of interactive animal experiences and are the

only zoo in the UK that is home to all of the big five: tigers, lions, cheetahs, snow

leopards and jaguars.

We were the first zoo in the UK to have a fully independent green audit, have become

members of global trade associations and, probably most impressively, returned

lions to Africa. In 2000, we acquired The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, a private

sanctuary for the breeding and conservation of big cats. Abroad, our achievements

have included establishing several important conservation initiatives including

Project Life Lion in Africa and funding a school for forest guards’ children in India.

Staying ahead of the pack

We are surrounded by animal parks and leisure attractions in Europe, which has the

highest density of zoos anywhere in the world. We therefore need to be different in

order to compete and have developed several unique selling points. We are regarded

FACTS ABOUT

PARADISE WILDLIFE PARK &

THE BIG CAT SANCTUARY

»Managing Director: Peter

Sampson

»Founded in 1984 as

Broxbourne Zoo

»Based in Broxbourne,

Hertfordshire, and Smarden,

Ashford, Kent

»Services: Wildlife, leisure and

conservation park

»No. of employees: Over 250

»The only jaguar cub born

in the UK in 2017, as part

of the European Breeding

Programme, was born at

Paradise WIldlife Park in 2017

»www.pwpark.com

Paradise Wildlife Park &

The Big Cat Sanctuary

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

2| PARADISE WILDLIFE PARK & THE BIG CAT SANCTUARY

as Europe’s leading zoo for exotic

animal experiences: where guests

form lifelong memories to take away

and share with friends, family and

colleagues, becoming more inspired

about conservation in the process.

We are not just a wildlife park – we

are a wildlife and leisure park. As such,

we have invested heavily in non-animal

activities and last year opened our

World of Dinosaurs exhibit – the UK’s

largest animatronic dinosaur attraction.

We host around 250,000 paid visitors

a year – and over 350,000 in total.

Furthermore, we are the largest

independent leisure employer in East

Hertfordshire, with a total team of

around 250.

Over the last five years, we have

undergone a rebranding, including the

development of a ten-year plan. This

has proved very successful in our visitor

figures, which are increasing year-on-

year at a greater rate than ever before.

A conservation-led wildlife

and leisure park

We participate annually in the

European Association of Zoos

and Aquaria’s Conservation and

Awareness Campaigns. We have

achieved excellent results to this end,

coming second in the UK and fourth

in Europe for funds raised for tiger

conservation, and second in the UK

and fifth in Europe for funds raised for

Madagascar.

Over the past 30 years, we have

donated and generated well over

£5 million for various charities and

conservation initiatives. We are also

proud participants of the Hedgehog

Release Programme, whereby we use a

dedicated reserve to home and nurture

hedgehogs before they become ready

to return to live with local wildlife.

We are a proactive member of

various trade organisations including

the World Association of Zoos and

Aquariums, the European Association

of Zoos and Aquaria, the British

and Irish Association of Zoos and

Aquariums and the Association of

Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions.

We are committed to conservation

both nationally and internationally;

our environmental management

system was included as part of the

best practice in zoos section of the Zoo

Licensing Act.

In recent times, as with many

businesses and households, we

have worked hard to reduce our use

of single-use plastics and increase

the recyclable materials we use on

site. To encourage the younger

Moto the African lion in

Pride Lands at Paradise

Wildlife Park

We have

established an

enviable

reputation for

breeding

endangered

species

“

3PARADISE WILDLIFE PARK & THE BIG CAT SANCTUARY |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE

generation to become more involved in

environmental issues, we have recently

launched our HEART Project – HEART

standing for Helping Endangered

Animals by Recycling Trash – whereby

local schools produce an endangered

animal model made entirely of recycled

materials. This will then culminate

in an art exhibition at the park, and

funds raised will be donated to our

main conservation project for the year,

Drive4Wildlife.

Over recent years at Paradise, we have

been very proud to make valuable

contributions to the European

Endangered Species Programme by

breeding black lemurs, red-ruffed

lemurs, cotton-top tamarins and

red pandas. An achievement we are

very proud of is the birth of a female

jaguar cub, Keira, the only cub born in

the UK as part of the programme, in

2017. At present, we have breeding

recommendations for our red pandas

and our snow leopards and hope

to hear the patter of tiny paws in

thefuture.

Expanding with The Big Cat

Sanctuary

We have had further success at The Big

Cat Sanctuary, which is managed by

the Wildlife Heritage Foundation. Our

success in breeding big cats, including

tigers, lions, snow leopards and Pallas’s

cats, has led to us becoming involved

with some of the world’s most

endangered big catspecies.

With insufficient land to expand to

this end in Broxbourne, we decided

to look for an alternative facility. With

our substantial network of contacts and

expertise in the breeding of big cats, we

built a tremendous network of support

for the sanctuary within the global zoo

community, conservation organisations

and breeding programmes. This helped

us to develop The Big Cat Sanctuary

and launch our pivotal “collection plan”

– as a result, we are now home to

Europe’s most important collection of

endangered felines.

Our breeding successes at the

sanctuary include Amur leopards,

Amur tigers and Sumatran tigers, and

we have been recognised by WAZA

for the branding and promotion

of the Amur Leopard Conservation

Programme. In recent years, we

have opened our hugely successful

overnight-stay lodges, which has

enabled the sanctuary to grow and

raised considerable funds.

The next steps

We are conscious of our responsibility

to the global community and will

continue to work abroad to this end. I

met representatives from the Uganda

Wildlife Conservation Education Centre

at an international zoo conference in

2007 and subsequently worked with

the Uganda Wildlife Authority to send

two female lions to Entebbe in 2009.

Both lionesses have since bred, and we

fund the upkeep and veterinary costs

for both of them.

I think there is no better summary

for our work – which I am immensely

proud of – than the compliment

we received from legendary zoo

veterinarian Peter Scott in 2012: “You

used to be regarded as the mavericks

– now you are seen as the pioneers of

the modern zoo.”

We have

committed to

conservation

both

nationally and

internationally

“

One of many

educational experiences,

feeding our red pandas

www.pwpark.com

This article was sponsored by Paradise Wildlife Park & The Big Cat Sanctuary. The Parliamentary Review is wholly funded by the representatives who write for it. The publication in which this article originally appeared contained the following foreword from Rt Hon Michael Gove.

Rt Hon Michael Gove's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By Rt Hon Michael Gove

This year's Parliamentary Review comes at a momentous time for parliament, as we collectively determine the destiny of the United Kingdom.

On October 31, the UK will leave the European Union. The successful implementation of this process is this government's number-one priority.

Three years after a historic referendum vote, we will deliver on the decisive mandate from the British people. Trust in our democracy depends on it. Until that final hour, we will work determinedly and diligently to negotiate a deal, one that abolishes the backstop and upholds the warm and close relationship we share with our friends, allies and neighbours in the EU. But in the event that the EU refuses to meet us at the table, we must be prepared to leave without a deal.

As the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, it is my job to lead on this government's approach, should that scenario happen. Preparing for Brexit is my department's driving mission. But while I am leading this turbocharged effort, the whole of government is committed to this endeavour.

Ministers across Whitehall are working together to ensure that every possibility is considered, every plan is scrutinised and every provision is made. A daily drumbeat of meetings means that we are holding departments accountable, so that preparations are completed on time.

The chancellor has confirmed that all necessary funding will be made available. And we have mobilised thecivil service, assigning 15,000 of our most talented civil servants to manage our exit from the EU.

We will make sure that on November 1, there is as little disruption to national life as possible. Our trade relationships will continue to thrive, thanks to agreements with countries around the world worth £70 billion. Our country will remain secure, thanks to nearly 1,000 new officers posted at our borders. And the 3.2 million EU nationals now living and working among us can remain confident, with absolute certainty, of their right to remain in the UK.

Above all, our goal is to be transparent. Soon, we will launch a public information campaign so that citizens, communities and businesses are ready and reassured about what will happen in the event of “no deal”.

In my first few weeks in this role, I have travelled to ports and tarmacs, borders and bridges, all across the UK –from the seaside of Dover to the rolling green hills of County Armagh. I have heard from business owners and border officials, farmers and hauliers. They are ready to put an end to uncertainty. And they are ready to embrace the opportunities ahead.

Our departure from the EU will be a once in a lifetime chance to chart a new course for the United Kingdom. Preparing for that new course will be a herculean effort. But this country has made astounding efforts before. We can do it again.

Rt Hon Michael Gove
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster