Kent Big Cat Sanctuary manager becomes bestseller
Managing director Cam Whitnall has become a Sunday Times Bestseller, after publishing his stories about saving war-affected animals in Ukraine.
The manager of Kent's Big Cat Sanctuary Cam Whitnall has recently become a Sunday Times bestseller, after publishing a book about his experiences running the sanctuary and supporting animals.
The book emerged from the lion rescue Whitnall oversaw—a complex operation that brought several lions from Ukraine to Kent, providing them with a secure home.
Talking about the operation itself, Whitnall said:
"You're gonna need to read the book to find out, but.....
"And as far as I'm aware, we're the first organization to go into a war zone to rescue big cats.
"There was no blueprint for it. There was lots of red tape. And we managed to do it with an awesome team that we kind of assembled.
"It was our very own Avengers.
"And we built them their home where they could walk on grass for the first time in their life. It was just the most rewarding thing I've ever done.
"Definitely one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it was worth it."
He added that he had never set out to write a book on the subject, but been encouraged to do so due to the level of support for the Sanctuary's rescue work:
"I can't believe I have a book. That was not on my agenda.
"Lionheart was kind of born because of the lion rescue that we did here at the sanctuary.
"And I had no intention of even doing a book.
"It was more quite a few people came to me and said, 'oh, you should make a book'.
"And then that's kind of how the discussion started.
"We've ended up with Lionheart and it's kind of a reflection on my life so far. You know, I'm 30, but I've been fortunate enough to have a really special upbringing around wildlife, growing up on a zoo all the way through to photographing wildlife around the world with Nikon conservation trips around the world and now running this place and doing lots of animal rescues."
He also thanked those who had supported him throughout both processes.
Speaking about what was next for the Big Cat Sanctuary, Whitnall said to "watch this space" ahead of the upcoming Big Cat Fest.