Bob Jackson the man who first put exotic animals on TV

The unpleasant and underwater death of Steve Irwin like the death of any media star sweeps the world's press and creates a media circus - his father today has refused an Australian State Funeral !

As a snotty schoolboy Lord Patel was fortunate to work at weekends for Robert "Bob" Jackson, a bearded giant who with his partner George Cansdale presented the first exotic wild animal program on BBC TV. George Cansdale had been in the Colonial Forest Service of the Gold Coast from 1934 until 1948, and when he returned to England to become Superintendent of the Zoological Society of London and wrote some Ladybird boks about wild animals.The first shows went out for childrrren from Ally Pally in 1948.

Bob imported and distributed animals, most of which came through the nearby Ringway Airport (now Manchester) and also provided quarantine services.

My job was to spend all wekend cleaning out animals ranging from chimps and crocodiles that appeared in films (A Crocodile named Daisy), sell cage birds, tropical fish and especially snakes and reptiles.

A showman, he was never happier than pleasing kids and frightening their mums with snakes and I would help him set up a small zoo at Agricultural shows for which we charged 6p or a "tanner" entrance. I got 10 shillings for the weekend (bring your own sandwiches) and he would copper up on a Sunday night in between threats of emasculating me with a rusty razor.

Remarkably some animal always "escaped" , the news of which would spread rapidly and the queues would form.

As I was leaving school in the late 50's he was establishing, with the NOrth Wales holiday town of Colwyn Bay the Welsh Mountain Zoo - which he asked me to join - but I went to University to study Botany instead. Again it was an annual spring event when some large raptor, of which they had a splendid collection would "escape" to be reported in the Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo - and the queues would form.

Like Steve Irwin , he died tragically outdoors. A keen fisherman he was caught in a storm and lightning hit the tree under which he was sheltering, he was dragged in the water and drowned.

There is a memorial too him in the grounds where his wife and sons keep the Zoo going."Chai Mbili" he used to shout in Swahili .. "Tea for Two".

If you get the chance visit their excellent collections - remember when you see the hoo hah about Irwin and his ilk - it was Bob and George that started it all off.