Mann has attracted local and international attention on the plight of animals in the East London zoo using the combined power of radio and social media.
His trip to the United Kingdom follows a call from the founder of the Shamwari private nature reserve and Mantis Collection of hotels Adrian Gardiner.
“Adrian called me as patron of the Wilderness Foundation to say that not all zoos are bad. He was anxious that I should be aware of the contribution to conservation that some zoos are making, and he suggested that I visit Chester Zoo in north west England in order to make up my own mind,” says Mann.
According to Algoa FM marketing manager Toinette Koumpan, conservation is one of the pillars of the media house’s corporate social responsibility policy.
“We fully support Daron in his animal rights campaign,” she says.
In 2017 Chester was named as the best zoo in the UK and third in the world by TripAdvisor.
It attracts close to two million visitors a year, making it the top tourism destination in the United Kingdom after the city of London.
The visit to the zoo was organised for the week before he joined the Daron Mann Breakfast (DMB) team from the Draycott Hotel in London.
He will be broadcasting live from London from Monday, May 13, to Saturday, May 18, when he hosts a popular morning show, The Saturday Wakeup.
“I am looking forward to including top environmentalists and conservationists from the UK in the morning show.
“People often feel overwhelmed by the environmental destruction that is happening in the world. But it is relatively easy to make a difference.
“In 2019 the London Marathon replaced 200,000 water bottles with edible seaweed pods, for example,” he says.
Mann expects his interviews and the insights gained during the visit to the United Kingdom to increase pressure on the East London Zoo to relocate its remaining bear, jaguar and Cape vulture.
A breeding programme needs the endangered vulture, while a nearby private reserve is willing to house the jaguar in a two-hectare enclosure.
A bear rescue programme has found alternative housing for the 30-year-old bear.
