272pp., b/w & colour illus., paperback, Tracey McDonald Publishers, Johannesburg, 2024
ISBN: 9781776443369
A second memoir by Willie Labuschagne, author of the memoir The Soul of a Lion.
Willie Labuschagne started his career as a zoologist at the Johannesburg Zoological Gardens, and was later promoted to Director. In 1985 he was appointed Executive Director of the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa. In 1989 he launched the Pan-African Association of Zoological Gardens, Aquaria and Botanic Gardens, and was chairman for six years. He received the 1998 PAAZAB Award in recognition of his contribution to the advancement of zoological gardens in Africa. In 1999 he was elected President of the World Association of Zoos and Aquaria, and in 2007 received the Heini Hediger Award for his contribution to the progression of zoological gardens worldwide.
In 2006 he accepted an offer by the late His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, to manage his private Department of Nature Conservation. After returning to South Africa in 2015 he established a consultancy, Willie Labuschagne Wildlife Consultants, which specialises in zoo development.