A senior rhino keeper has been named as Chester Zoo’s Green Traveller of the Year after cycling to work every day for the past 17 years.
Mark Cleave has used pedal power to commute to work from his home in Broughton in Flintshire, pedalling 72,726 miles in the process - the equivalent to almost three times around the world, or nearly a third of the way to the moon.
Mark said: “I’ve ridden into work every single day for the last 17 years. Come rain, sleet, wind, snow, hail, fog or shine, I haven’t missed a day, nor used any other means of transport.”
But whereas the mere thought of getting the bike out of the shed and hitting the road at 6:25am every morning may be daunting to most, the rewards are well worth it for the committed keeper.
“I cycle 93 miles a week but it’s no problem at all. In truth, I’d cycle a heck of a lot further to work with black rhinos. They’re just incredible animals and it’s an absolute privilege to work with them day in, day out.” said Mark.
“We run a hugely successful breeding programme at Chester Zoo, which I’m delighted to be involved with. And with the species now massively threatened from poaching in the wild, I’m proud to be able to say that we’ve had several baby black rhinos born in my time here - providing a vital safety-net should wild populations become extinct.”
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