Brendan Whittington-Jones (27), a South African game ranger with Thula Thula game reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal, has done much to help hundreds of animals at Baghdad Zoo who were in appalling conditions. He is now in Kabul, Afghanistan, where he has been commissioned by zoological societies in England and the USA, to save the Kabul Zoo. Brendan had been working at the Thula Thula for about three-and-a-half years, managing the game reserve for the owner, Lawrence Anthony. He watched the war on CNN and saw footage of some of the zoo animals in Iraq. One of Lawrence's sons asked his father to help Baghdad Zoo and the idea grew from there. Brendan and Lawrence had earlier met some US diplomatic staff who were working in Durban. They contacted them with their idea. In April 2003, Lawrence flew to Kuwait, and drove from Kuwait City into Baghdad. The Americans found him accommodation at the Al-Rasheed hotel, gave him army rations and arranged transport for him to and from the zoo every day. Brendan arrived in Baghdad in May 2003. Together with a volunteer from Wildaid, an American non-governmental organisation, Lawrence had got the water supply running again, found staff to work with the animals and sourced money to pay the staff. Many animals had been stolen from the zoo by looters who also broke locks, smashed the aquarium and took the air-conditioners. The stolen animals were taken to markets, kept as pets, or eaten. Brendan and Lawrence found another private zoo which they tried to clean up but eventually they moved those animals to the Baghdad Zoo. By July 2003 the zoo was able to re-open to the public. They also managed to get about 40 pet dogs sent to the US and Lawrence also helped set up an Iraqi society for animal welfare. The zoo now being run by Iraqi staff and a young Iraqi veterinarian is in charge.
The son of a veterinarian, Brendan grew up in Cape Town and did a BSc in Zoology at Rhodes University. He then went to Pretoria University, completing an honours degree in Wildlife Management. While in Baghdad, he met the love of his life, Farah Murrani, an Iraqi vet who volunteered at the zoo. She is currently in the US completing a veterinary residency at North Carolina Zoo.
