Our Patron

In 2006 I fulfilled a boyhood dream and visited the Amazon for the first time. My travelling companion and guide was Antony Taggart. Coincidentally, Antony and I met in my birth city of Perth, Western Australia, following my interest in the concept behind Zoo Peru.

Our initial meeting quickly developed into a mutual friendship, and for my part, respect for the enormous vision, sacrifices and commitment he and all those other on the committee had made to see Zoo Peru evolve. A short time later I travelled to South America with Antony to see firsthand the workings of his passion.

On our first day in Iquitos, Peru, we were contacted by an ex-pat Canadian wildlife lover, whose husband, ironically, was one of the big players in the Amazonian deforestation business. The previous evening she had purchased from a street vendor an incredibly rare pygmy anteater. The following day, Antony and I travelled deep into the Amazonian jungle to release this precious and extraordinary creature back to where it belonged.

From there our journey became more incredulous and sad. I met animal species I had never heard of. We rescued a near-death oncilla, which I named Priscilla, and saved her life. I convinced other Veterinary Surgeons to forget about street dogs, and care about diminishing indigenous wildlife. I've met some wonderful people battling against seemingly insurmountable odds to see the right thing done by the remarkable animals of this region.

As a dedicated conservationist, and wildlife documentary filmmaker, I quickly grew to appreciate the uniqueness of the fauna of the Amazon. I also recognised why African wildlife receives so much coverage and the animals of South America so little - it is an incredibly difficult environment to traverse, and the animal species are very shy and rare.

It is a great honour to accept the role as Patron of Zoo Peru. I firmly believe in the importance of this initiative, and know that without Zoo Peru, our children, and their offspring, may never know what amazing animals exist in this paradox of a continent.
Stephen

Dr Stephen Van Mil
Animal Media Australia
October 2008