Creighton is no stranger to the media. He was the face of a TV series, which remains popular for its behind-the-scenes look at the ups and downs of zoo life. He was often stopped on the street, and is regularly called “the man from the zoo”.
Creighton’s father and his brother also worked at Dublin Zoo. “I don’t ever remember not being in the zoo,” he said.
Creighton’s passion for animal welfare is clear, and not something that has reduced over the years — for him, or his father. Just a few hours earlier he was at the vet’s with his father where their 15-year-old German shepherd had to be put to sleep. “For any zookeeper, losing an animal is like losing a part of yourself,” said Creighton. He has been present for the euthanasia of an old lion, which reduced many zookeepers there to tears. He was present for the death of a chimpanzee in her 50s who both Creighton and his father had cared for over the years. He also described the death of a rhino, which escaped from a transport container in 1996, as something gut-wrenching.
In January 2021, he left Dublin Zoo and started his own consultancy agency, Global Elephant Care. He is working on developing elephant care and enclosures (围场) in France, the UK, the US, Israel, Australia and the United Arab Emirates, where elephants will have air conditioning to save them from the 50-degree heat. He is also working on projects to manage the gradual release of elephants back into the wild, but nevertheless talks straightly about their situation. There are about 40,000 Asian elephants left in the world. In an hour, there will probably be five or six African elephants killed for their ivory.
Despite the cruel reality for elephants around the world, with increasing human encroachment (侵占) on their natural habitat, Creighton faces it with a smile.
4. Why is Creighton familiar to media?
A.He was involved in a TV program. |
B.He filmed a documentary on the people. |
C.He posted his work life in the zoo online. |
D.He was the zookeeper of the popular zoo. |
5. What does the underlined word “gut-wrenching” in paragraph 3 mean?
A.Too proud. | B.Greatly cheerful. |
C.Quite helpless. | D.Extremely upset. |
6. What is Creighton’s purpose of establishing Global Elephant Care?
A.To raise money to help elephants. |
B.To guarantee the elephants’ welfare. |
C.To manage the elephants in the wild. |
D.To improve elephants’ living conditions. |
7. What can be used to describe Creighton?
A.Efficient and just. | B.Sociable and loyal. |
C.Caring and optimistic. | D.Sensitive and mean. |