A note from our Zoo Director, Zachary

When I look back at the earliest days of WILD Zoological Park, there are a handful of people who immediately come to mind — people who didn’t just support the idea, but helped shape it into something real. One of the most important is the man, the myth, the legend — Peter Arnold.

In the very beginning, it was just me and Peter working together. No big team, no established infrastructure, no finished zoo — just the two of us, a vision, and a huge amount of work that needed doing. Those early days were built on graft, problem-solving and expertise — and Peter was the man for all of those things!

Peter is, first and foremost, a master craftsman. Through his business, P C Arnold Joinery in Wolverhampton, he built a long-standing reputation for exceptional workmanship in carpentry and joinery. Based on Stewart Street, the company became known locally for producing top-quality, dependable work — the kind that only comes from decades of experience, pride in the trade and uncompromising attention to detail.

Peter would never settle for anything less than absolutely perfect — I don’t think he could live with himself if he did! “That’ll do” is a phrase you would never hear Peter utter.

If a fence was even half a millimetre out of level, you could guarantee he’d look at it and say, “No, son. Let’s do it again — it’s got to be right!”

That sums Peter up perfectly.

Over the years, P C Arnold Joinery carried out work for a wide range of clients, from private customers to commercial projects, and Peter’s name became associated with reliability, absolute quality and proper craftsmanship. Whether it was bespoke joinery, structural timber work or detailed finishing, his business was built on doing things to the highest possible standard, while still working with remarkable speed, accuracy and efficiency. I’ve genuinely never known a work ethic quite like Peter’s.

That mindset is exactly what made him so important in the creation of WILD.

At the time, I had the ambition to build something completely new — a zoological park from scratch — but ambition alone doesn’t build anything. You need practical knowledge, experience and the ability to turn ideas into something physically real.

Peter brought all of that in abundance.

He didn’t just advise from the sidelines. He was there, hands-on, working through problems, planning, building and adapting as challenges came up. More than that, he taught me everything I know about building and practical construction.

I’m nowhere near the standard of Peter’s master craftsmanship, and I still wouldn’t claim to be, but because of him I learned how to take an idea and physically build it from the ground up. So Peter didn’t just help me build my dream — he taught me lifelong skills in the process.

That is something I will always be grateful for.

WILD’s own history reflects Peter’s involvement in those early days. When the opportunity at Halfpenny Green came about, Peter was right there beside me, and together we would lay the foundations for what WILD would eventually become.

What I remember most about working with Peter is his approach. He was calm, methodical and incredibly precise. He never overcomplicated things. He would look at a problem, understand it and find a practical way forward. That kind of experience is rare, and when you are trying to build something from nothing, it is invaluable.

We spent hours upon hours working together and developed an almost unspoken understanding of one another. I’d try to pre-empt what he was thinking and what we’d need next. And amongst all that hard work, we spent countless hours telling jokes, winding each other up and making each other laugh.

Those are memories I’ll always treasure.
When we first met, I discovered his love and passion for birds, he had a huge collection of avian taxidermy that instantly fascinated me, a huge array of my favourite species on display in his home. It was like the natural history museum for birds! Through that passion and his work with me, he also started keeping a collection of exotic birds, from owls to cranes, lovebirds to ibis!

There were many moments in those early stages when things could easily have stalled. Having Peter there made the difference between something remaining an idea and something becoming real. His experience from years of running P C Arnold Joinery meant he had seen and solved almost every kind of practical challenge before — and that showed in everything he did.

I am forever grateful for everything Peter did, and everything he still does — his time, his skill, his patience, his friendship and the way he shared his knowledge so freely.

Without Peter’s practical expertise and his willingness to get involved from the very beginning, I probably wouldn’t have taken that leap. But Peter was right there, ready to go — no questions asked.

It is no exaggeration to say that WILD Zoological Park simply would not exist without him.

And for all of us at WILD, Peter isn’t simply a friend who helped build the place.

He’s WILD family and he always will be.

We were thrilled to receive this photo of an amazing Easter school project today, raising awareness for WILD!
Daisy is a familiar face at the zoo, and we are so pleased she chose to represent us. It’s clear a lot of thought and effort went into this—Daisy, you’d definitely get our vote!

Inspiring young minds like Daisy’s is at the heart of what we do. Future generations play a vital role in protecting wildlife, and seeing such passion for conservation gives us so much hope!

We can’t wait to welcome her to our upcoming Junior Keeper Day—and we have to say, the brand-new WILD merchandise looks fantastic on her!