Call of the wild: zoo expert coaxed out of retirement to welcome animals to Dubai
Timothy Husband was working on his farm when Dubai Safari Park called, says Nick Webster
With a lifetime of experience behind him, Timothy Husband was settling into retirement when the lure of helping captive wild animals at a new venture in Dubai pulled him back to work.
With Dubai Zoo closing, the animals there had an uncertain future. But as an expert on exotic animals and as a troubleshooter for zoos around the world, Mr Husband knew he could assist in setting up Dubai Safari.
The New Zealander’s expertise in turning round wildlife parks was viewed as a key asset when he was asked by local authorities to take on the project, due to open in November.
Mr Husband, who has a degree in zoology from Sydney University, worked in zoos and safari parks in Canberra, Cairns, Bali and elsewhere in Indonesia before moving to the UAE with his wife of 24 years, Wendy.
The couple met at a zoo, and were even married in a zoo.
“I’ve been doing this for 40 years,” he said. “A lot of these animals, you can’t put back into the wild. I don’t get upset about animal rights groups, it is their job to get zoos closed down.
“Some say the animals would be better off if they were shot, but that’s not the case when they can move to a modern facility like Dubai Safari.”
Mr Husband has held posts such as zookeeper, curator of a zoo, consultant and director of wildlife parks.
Later in his career he started a zoo consultancy business with his wife, and spent three years turning around a zoo in Cairns, Australia, that had been shut down over animal welfare concerns.
He spent five years in Bali, bringing the safari park there up to a world-class standard, and he launched a training programme in Indonesia for potential zoo workers to improve the way animals are cared for.
An interest in animals began as a child, he says.
But despite that and his long years working with them, Mr Husband said that he once considered a job as a religious minister. But in the end, his family’s love of animals eventually shaped his career choice.
He lives close to the new Dubai Safari, and much of his spare time, when he’s not working on the park, is spent reading up on animals or talking to people at other zoos around the world.
Mr Husband owns a cattle farm south of Sydney near the Blue Mountains, but his efforts to edge Dubai Safari closer to an opening date has meant he has spent little time there in the past two years.
Dubai Safari will not only offer sanctuary for rescued animals, such as elephants saved from logging and industrial operations around the world, but will also operate a breeding programme to preserve their future in the region.
It is hoped the park will pass on important education to the next generation on endangered species and why they must be protected.
“When I first walked into Dubai Zoo, it was something I had seen before,” he said.
“It reminded me of India, where I had worked to bring the standard of their zoos up to scratch ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
“It had been neglected, unfortunately. Old-fashioned methods had been used and that was considered acceptable, but it isn’t any more.
“I’ve always tried to instil in my staff that we are guardians and privileged to look after these animals.”
Dubai Safari will have an indoor and outdoor exhibit for two gorillas, Digit and Diana, who were smuggled into the country 20 years ago and have been kept in Dubai Zoo ever since.
“Every animal is coming to the park and we will sort them out there,” he said.
“There are a couple of old animals, a tiger and a bear, who won’t go on display, but they will be looked after and enjoy their final years in dignity.”
Mr Husband aims to stay on until 2020, but will train up a local expert to leave the safari park in good hands. He plans afterwards to return every few months.
He is one of just 10 or so technical directors in the world who have expertise in running such facilities.
“I have been involved with three zoo deaths to investigate, and seen the deaths of animals. As a technical director, you know what works,” he said.
“I had a mahout [rider or trainer] killed by his elephant in Bali, and a keeper mauled by a tiger attack in Sydney and another in New Zealand. Ninety-nine per cent of accidents are a keeper’s fault, they get too relaxed.
“I’m hoping Dubai Safari will go some way to show people here are changing their ways and that animals are not something to be owned but looked after and cherished.”
Timothy Husband lives close to the new Dubai Safari Park and much of his spare time is spent reading up on animals or talking to people at other zoos around the world