STYLE | Feature
Wild hearts belong here As the Isle of Wight Zoo looks forward to welcoming back v isitors, we ta l k to Charlotte Corney and Law rence Bates about its legacy and li feblood
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harlotte Corney’s lifelong connection to the Isle of Wight Zoo was decided at just three months old, when her parents bought the struggling zoo within Sandown’s historic fort. Thanks to a thoroughly ‘My Family and Other Animals’ style childhood – of tiger cubs on the beach and leopards on the school run – Charlotte has a deep physical and emotional affinity to this memoryfilled space where her “whole life has
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been orbited”. More recently, Charlotte has gradually moved away from the day-to-day management of the site, though she remains in regular contact as a board member and Trustee. “It’s not something that I have a choice whether or not I’m connected to it – it’s part of my DNA,” she says. Today, everyday operations and long-term plans are managed by Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Bates. Lawrence alluded to upcoming
