In this instalment of the witness statement published at the start of his court case against three individuals whom he claims has defamed him, Chris Packham discusses his role with a trust that oversees livestock held in captivity. (See also earlier blogs.)
I have been a Trustee of the Wildheart Trust since 19 May 2016.
My partner, Charlotte, inherited the Isle of Wight Zoo from her father.
I met her shortly after he died when she had begun to change the purpose and practices there.
We have aligned thinking over how animals in captivity should be managed, so we worked towards the establishment becoming a forever home for rescued animals where we could provide the best conditions, food and veterinary care for animals that have suffered abuse.
We do not breed animals as we believe firstly there are already too many in captivity and secondly that the roles of zoos should be radically and rapidly re-assessed.
My role as a trustee means I am one of a panel of advisors.
I am not the chef executive of the sanctuary, but I give guidance on issues within my expertise and steer the charity.
It is not my role, nor Charlotte’s, to be hands on with the day-to-day management of the sanctuary.
The Trust has five trustees (although this number changes from time to time) and a number of ‘board observers’.
We all bring a particular expertise and skill-set to the role.
My knowledge and background tends to mean that I help with the Trust’s marketing, media and public relations as well as issues involving animal welfare and broader conservation.
I am not there to offer advice on finance or human resources issues -there are other people there with those skills.
I have helped many small charities with their fundraising over the years, and my background made it an obvious thing to help the Trust with.
The board will decide if a fundraising appeal is necessary and, if it is, how much money needs to be raised and the best way to do it.
Sometimes the best way to secure funding for a project is to apply for a grant, other times it may be crowdfunding or social media.
The general approach is that the board makes a decision, and I help with the execution of it if that involves a fundraising appeal.
We have regular trustee meetings, although we met much more often (daily or weekly - albeit remotely) during Covid-19 because of the Trust’s precarious financial position when the sanctuary had to be closed to the public.
The Trust didn’t have a fundraising department, so we all pitched in with ideas.
The board made a decision that a public appeal was necessary, and I helped with the delivery of it.
Charlotte and I would discuss a project, its aims and objectives. I would then write a list of points to put into a short video recorded on my phone.
I would then go into the garden and record a few versions off the cuff’
Charlotte has even more experience than me of working with captive wild animals because she essentially grew up in a zoo.
Temporarily, she chairs the board of Trustees.
As is my way, I will always listen carefully to her.
I will discuss with her issues of welfare and behavioural care, but I am not the one ‘wearing the trousers’.
We make joint decisions after sometimes rigorous or prolonged discussion.
We respect each other’s expertise and experience, and coming to an agreement on any course of action is rarely difficult because we are always putting the animals first.
It’s not about us, our opinions, our egos - it’s about achieving the best result for the animals.
Also, we have contrasting personalities, particularly as a result of my autism, so very often ‘meeting in the middle’ means we achieve a far better result in terms of any decisions or actions.
* Read more about the Wildheart Trust at:
The Wildheart Trust | A Registered Charity (wildheartanimalsanctuary.org)
** To be continued
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