Keeper Challenge in Memory of Hugo
Zoo keeper Pete tells us of his upcoming ‘Spartan Beast’ race to raise money for lion conservation
Keeper Blog
By Peter Bonser-Blake – Carnivore Keeper
I first met Hugo in 2016 before I worked at Folly Farm. I was an an ABWAK conference and was introduced to him by his keepers at the time. He was the most handsome lion I had met. Fast forward to 2020 and not only was I working at Folly Farm but I was also on the Carnivore section where Hugo now resided! Getting to work with him and the pride up close on a daily basis really helped me get to know him as the handsome gent he was. He was a patient character – he didn’t rush over to feed or ‘throw his weight around’ to get his meal. He took his time, often letting his mate Luna and their daughters go first – but when he did assert himself you would certainly take notice!
One of my favourite times of the day would be entering the lion house and hearing him do his morning roar. Whilst there aren’t any other lion prides around Pembrokeshire to keep away from his territory, I’ll always remember the air in my lungs vibrated with his powerful voice. I always loved giving guest talks and leading feeding experiences for the guests, and whilst he wasn’t always that interested in coming over for them, any day he did show interest in taking part was a bonus for both the guests and myself. Getting to see his magnificence up close was always a treat and I loved being able to share that experience with the public.
Earlier this year Hugo was sadly showing signs of being unwell and was under the care of our veterinary team, in close consultation with specialist zoo veterinarians who conducted a full health assessment on Hugo. The results found that he was suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) – a progressive and irreversible condition affecting kidney function, which can unfortunately be common in older big cats. His recent illness was determined to be a uraemic episode (a toxic build-up due to kidney failure), and sadly, more episodes were likely. Following an ethical review and given Hugo’s age and the nature of his condition, the difficult but humane decision to provide a dignified goodbye to him was taken to prevent further suffering. But I was heartbroken, as were the other keepers.
For myself the hardest part was not getting to say goodbye as I was scheduled to attend a zoo conference at Hertfordshire Zoo that week. That said, I had no doubt he was treated well in his last days and that the team did everything they could to make him comfortable.
It was around a week after Hugo’s passing that I thought about doing the Spartan Beast race in his memory. He had been such a big part of Folly Farm and the lives of the keepers and staff – and I felt like I should do something for him. Folly already supports several Conservation Charities including the work of Safina Lion Conservation who support the conservation of lions in the wild and educate people who have to coexist with them. I had met the Safina team already as they attend for our Lion Day events, so I knew it was a worthwhile charity to raise money for. So I booked myself onto the August Beast, set up a Just Giving page to try and get some donations through, and began training!
The Beast itself, as the name suggests is an absolute beast of a race taking place on 17 August of this year…Only a few weeks away! It’s a 21k trail OCR, meaning that not only will I have to run a half marathon distance on wild trails with hills and uneven ground, but I would also face at least 30 obstacles testing both my skill and strength. The obstacles can range from something ‘simple’, like lifting and carrying a 100lb (45kg) atlas stone without stopping, hoisting a similarly weighted sandbag 20 feet in the air or climbing over a flat 8ft wall, to something more complex like swinging between wobbly bars, scrambling under barbed wire or climbing a 16ft vertical rope to ring the bell!
If that wasn’t enough, Spartan races are designed to be not only difficult but are also very competitive. If you fail an obstacle for any reason, even if you fall off the bars right at the end, you have to do a forfeit. These are usually additional loops that increase your final distance, but they can also have you carrying a log or sandbag, (or every racers least favourite), 30 full burpees in the penalty box before you can move on to the next challenge!
Having done the smaller 5k sprint and 10k super events earlier in the year I can tell you these races with their obstacles are no joke and are naturally designed to challenge you to your core. But if I can raise even a small amount for Safina and honour Hugo’s memory in the process – then it will all be worth it!
Donations can be made on Pete’s Just Giving page here.
