This fundraising is in memory of Terry Shelton, who for nearly thirty years was a zookeeper, and for all of his life loved animals.

He worked mostly with elephants, but also with a lot of other animals. He really valued the job of being a zookeeper, and saw this as far more important than acclaim or status.

He aimed for excellence in zookeeping for both himself and others who followed him. He was an excellent mentor and many people , credit him with their passion for zookeeping and good animal welfare.

In memory of him, we are setting up a fund to support career zookeepers. That is, people who have been working in the zoo industry for at least 10 years, are aged 35 or over and intend to continue their career as a zookeeper.

The aim is to promote excellence in zookeeping and give an opportunity for zoo keepers to be acknowledged.

Each year, two funds will be made available to zookeepers who meet the criteria to undertake an experience that increases their knowledge and understanding of animals and supports their own well being.

The fund will be set up as a charity under the name of the Terry Shelton fund, and will initially operate for a minimum of 10 years.

I, Joanna Shelton, Terry's wife, will be one of the trustees , but we are in the process of looking at how this will be managed over the coming years.