BRYAN Paterson breeds and collects a host of animals including many fascinating creatures such as meerkats, Kune Kune pigs from New Zealand and pygmy goats.
The 62-year-old former construction worker, who lives at Acton Round, is a popular visitor to a host of schools, game fairs, fetes, birthday parties and to clubs.
Bryan, who formed ‘Wildlife Displays’in 1978 is currently pulling in crowds of children on holiday and their parents for animal antics at Telford Shopping Centre. He started life as the son of a gamekeeper and gained knowledge and a passion for animals, birds and the countryside from an early age.
“Following my early working life in the construction industry I decided I needed to have a job using the knowledge I had previously gained and which would offer a more enjoyable anf fulfilling lifestyle.
“I started by offering falconry and birds of prey displays for village fetes and the like at a time when there were very few similar display teams in existence,” explained Bryan.
He is now one of the most respected falconry/birds of prey display presenters, giving displays throughout the UK at many of the leading attractions, where he allows visitors to have a hawk or owl to fly to their gloved fist.
During recent years he has received requests from show organisers to display and talk about some of the more unusual animals which he has collected and is able to take along a mini-zoo.
He first started keeping the African meerkats – which have become popular on wildlife TV series and commercials – five years ago and now has 20 of the delightful creatures.
Bryan, who has all the relevant licences which enable his animals to be displayed in public has a host of animals in display tanks including his four snakes – a boa constrictor and python among them – lizards, spiders, scorpions, hissing cockroaches and giant snails.
Enclosures for rabbits and guinea pigs are popular with children who are allowed a hands-on experience with the animals. All of Bryan’s animals are domestically bred and he points out that they are completely at ease in a school or public place environment.
He has been giving wildlife lectures in schools since 1982 – the culmination of his lifetime interest in animals, conservation and the countryside.
“I visit all types of schools and talk to all age groups,” he explained. “My lectures are designed to pupils’ particular learning abilities and designed to help them attain many of the standards within the National Curriculum.
“I am very keen to get children involved in my presentations as I strongly believe that giving them the opportunity to learn about some of the more unusual animals at close quarters will perhaps encourage some of them to become conservationists in the future.
Visitors to the Telford Centre on Monday will have the chance to enjoy his collection of creepy crawlies, including tarantula spiders, snakes and scorpions and this week youngsters were able to build their own bird-boxes.
The final Telford event will be on Bank Holiday Monday, August 31 and include a visit from everyone’s favourite, Paddington Bear. The Monday events at Telford run from 11am-4pm during the school holidays and are free of charge.