A life helping animals.
I have been
passionate about animals and their welfare from an early age and have always
been more concerned about their individual well-being rather than any
scientific or zoological interest. Since retirement I have taken an interest in writing books on my adventures, true crime and social history.
I have been
lucky in experiencing a long and varied career in animal welfare which has
taken me around the world. The only downside is that I have seen most of the
horrors of animal abuse there is to see along the way. But this has given me a
unique insight into many of the issues which allows me to approach subjects
from a different perspective to most writers.
I initially
trained as an RSPCA clinic assistant on leaving school which gave me a
grounding in veterinary care and animal welfare. I progressed to becoming an
RSPCA ambulance driver for the East End of London and finally onto their night
emergency service. I have written of my adventures in two books.
Working
abroad
I spent six
months attempting to come to the aid of street dogs in Trinidad by setting up a
humane stray dog control service for the Port of Spain City Council, and again
wrote of my adventures. I became chief inspector and manager of the Bahamas
Humane Society in Nassau in the mid 1970’s which proved an extremely
challenging and harrowing experience dealing with all the cruelty particularly
to horses and dogs.
Horrors of
the animal trade
I then
returned to the U.K. as deputy manager and Diseases of Animals Inspector at the
Animal Quarantine Station, Heathrow Airport operated by the City of London
veterinary department. This brought me into contact with the horrific wildlife
and research animal trade. At the time Heathrow was a major hub for animals
being shipped around the world. Millions were suffering and dying because of
poor crating, delayed flights, stress, poor handling and sickness and no
authority was interested in coming to their aid. Every type of animal
imaginable was passing through the airport at that time. I instigated dozens of
prosecutions every year against the airlines for causing suffering and seized
animal shipments that were sick or badly crated. I reported smuggled endangered
animals and had to rescue escaped animals in the holds of aircraft.
Finally
disgusted at what was happening I joined with a conservation organisation to
travel the world investigating the capture and transport of wild animals which
culminated in a campaign to try and restrict and improve conditions. I was given
accreditation for the study as an honorary consultant to the International
Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Convention on the International
Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and attended international meetings and
conferences and co-wrote a 400 page report.
I ended my
career as a senior supervisor at the RSPCA Harmsworth hospital, famous for the
BBC documentary, followed by manager of an RSPCA animal centre in West Sussex
and lastly an animal welfare manager for an RSPCA branch in Essex.
"I have enjoyed a wonderful career which has allowed me to meet and help so many animals along the way and dedicated people who continue to try and save them. I now operate this website and blog, write books and articles and travel as much as possible to enjoy wildlife and natural places before they and I disappear"
John Brookland
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