Island Life Magazine Ltd February / March 2016 | Page 14

INTERVIEW

But the wily Jack Corney had other ideas
– and promptly acquired a new tiger cub
from Longleat, which he suggested that
19 year-old Charlotte should raise.
“My dad was a great strategist,”
she laughs. “He knew that once I’d
started raising Zia, I wouldn’t be going
anywhere!”

Bonded for life
Charlotte began sharing her caravan
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anticipated trip to the Antarctic with her
with Zia, and six months later, they were
partner of nine years, the TV naturalist
joined by the cub’s sister Zena, a white
Chris Packham, after Zia fell ill.
tiger.
Chris, who was making the trip to
“I really enjoyed living with Zia in the
photograph penguins, seals, polar bears
caravan - it was a way of getting away
and whales, ended up having to go alone
from all the madness”.
as Charlotte stayed back on the Island to
Not surprisingly, the unique bond that
nurse Zia through her illness.
Charlotte has with Zia and Zena endures
“She was so ill that I really thought she
to this day, and she describes herself as
was on her way out,” she says. “She is the
utterly devoted to the 20 year-old tigers.
So much so that last November, she was epicentre of my world, so for me to go
David Threlfall
and Dominic
Picture
by Julianaway
Winslow
for three weeks would have been
forced
at the last
minuteMinghella.
to cancel
a long-