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Scottish Sun
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
What it's REALLY like to work with Sir David Attenborough as star launches show ‘that's like stepping into his films'
The immersive show is even narrated by him SHOW TIME What it's REALLY like to work with Sir David Attenborough as star launches show 'that's like stepping into his films' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE British legend that is Sir David Attenborough has launched a new attraction that feels like stepping straight into his documentaries. From watching a pack of gazelles try to outpace a hungry lion to a lost baby elephant finding their way back to the pack - I fell in love with nature and conservation thanks to my first Attenborough film. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 13 It's the first time the Natural History Museum has shown an immersive experience like this Credit: Jenna Stevens 13 The stunning location: London's Natural History museum Credit: Jenna Stevens 13 The stunning visuals were ten times better than watching TV at home Credit: Jenna Stevens And when I heard he was narrating an epic new 360 experience at London's Natural History Museum, I knew I had to go. With 24 projectors, 50 speakers and 5 screens later, Our Story with David Attenborough is now opening its doors to the public. It's an immersive experience created by Open Planet Studios (the company that's worked with Sir David to make films like Ocean) alongside the Natural History Museum, a big team of experts, and Sir David Attenborough himself. These powers have come together to create something that feels like stepping inside your TV screen into the world of the nature documentary. I walked into the room and picked my seat, with enough space for about 100 people at a time. With the show projected onto all the walls that surround you, it feels a bit like a 360-degree cinema experience. The show begins in space. The room is dark, as projected stars rush over your body, and you zoom past the planets of our solar system. You eventually reach earth - and what happens next is a 50-minute deep dive into the history of life on our planet. From the first ever microscopic signs of life, to jellyfish, to the moon landing, you watch how life on earth has adapted and evolved into all sorts of wondrous forms. Now I'm not the most scientific of people - I only knew the basics of evolutionary history from school. Britain's 'Tiger King' Dr Terry Moore stars in Snow Leopards of Leafy London doc 13 It was surreal to see Sir David speak directly to you Credit: Jenna Stevens 13 From scorching hot planets to freezing cold, you begin with a journey through the solar system Credit: Jenna Stevens 13 The first signs of life on planet earth: microbes Credit: Jenna Stevens But my favourite thing about the show is that it wasn't just pretty animations. Whilst you're being wowed by the visuals, you're also learning about history and the latest science. There's this particular scene that shows how fungi began to grow on earth. Glowing, cartoon-like mushrooms illuminate the screens, climbing over the walls and building pathways onto the floor. "Those mushrooms are based on time-lapse footage of real mushrooms" says Victoria Bromley, director-producer at Open Planet Studios. "And there's a point where we asked 'Do they look too Disney? Are people even going to believe that that's real?'" "But the original footage actually looks like that. Nature is just so unbelievable". That's what makes this immersive experience so different to others I've been to before. It's not a flashy lights show - you're watching modern scientific discoveries come to life before your eyes. After spanning thousands of years, the show soon reaches animal life. 13 I thought the mushrooms looked like a Willy Wonka creation - but they were based on real science Credit: Jenna Stevens 13 Observing the apes made me feel like I was in the heart of the jungle Credit: Jenna Stevens You're met with a gorilla who feels like they are making direct eye contact with you, and a mother and baby whale dance past the screens which surround you. Whilst the gorilla footage is taken from real shoots with Sir David, the whales were designed with whale behaviour experts, and even whale-noise specialists (yes - that's a thing). Listening to David Attenborough excitedly describe the animals around you was way better than watching the documentaries at home. "What's so lovely about Sir David is that he still has this childlike delight in nature" says Victoria. "I see it in my kids, that fascination with a bug or butterfly. Fossils he adores. It's his ability to bring that enthusiasm, and share it with people". Victoria has been able to work with Sir David on multiple projects and films, and still remembers the first time they worked together. "To get in touch with Sir David, you had to handwrite him a letter. He didn't have email. So I wrote him this letter with all my hopes and dreams". "He loves pangolins, so I wrote and said we're doing this documentary, would you consider doing it? "Then I didn't hear anything, and one day someone came over and said Victoria Bromley, we've got a letter for you'." 13 Sir David has hope for the future, even after all the devastation he has seen Credit: Jenna Stevens 13 The 'fixing our broken planet' section next door has useful tips on what we can do to help the environment Credit: Jenna Stevens Now, after years of collaborations, they have worked together once again to create this exhibit: Our Story. As the show turns to humans, Sir David runs through the highs and lows of human life on earth - everything from cave drawings to climate change. And in a heart-warming ending that genuinely got me choked up, Sir David shared how after a near century-long career, he is filled with hope for the future. "Let's use our dazzling minds for good" he says. "And work with the world instead of against it". What a hero. Walking out of the viewing room, I felt moved and inspired, but it was also a real shock to the system. It felt like when the credits start to roll at the cinema, and you remember that you have a real life to go back to after losing yourself for an afternoon. (Can't I just stay, watch the gorillas and listen to David forever? Please?) The exhibit is open to the public from Thursday 19th June. Tickets for adults are £20, with tickets for children aged 4-16 priced at £10. If you're a student, you can get in for £16. If you happen to be a member of the museum, you get 50 per cent off. There's multiple showings a day, starting every hour on the hour. There's also an option to book in for a 'relaxed' viewing, a smaller capacity designed for neurodivergent visitors. 13 The giant whale skeleton in the Natural History Museum is fittingly called 'Hope' Credit: Jenna Stevens 13 Of course I had to go visit the famous roaring T-Rex after the show Credit: Jenna Stevens
The Irish Sun
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
What it's REALLY like to work with Sir David Attenborough as star launches show ‘that's like stepping into his films'
THE British legend that is Sir David Attenborough has launched a new attraction that feels like stepping straight into his documentaries. From watching a pack of gazelles try to outpace a hungry 13 It's the first time the Natural History Museum has shown an immersive experience like this Credit: Jenna Stevens 13 The stunning location: London's Natural History museum Credit: Jenna Stevens 13 The stunning visuals were ten times better than watching TV at home Credit: Jenna Stevens And when I heard he was narrating an epic new 360 experience at London's Natural History Museum, I knew I had to go. With 24 projectors, 50 speakers and 5 screens later, Our Story with David Attenborough is now opening its doors to the public. It's an immersive experience created by Open Planet Studios (the company that's worked with Sir David to make films like Ocean ) alongside the Natural History Museum, a big team of experts, and Sir David Attenborough himself. These powers have come together to create something that feels like stepping inside your TV screen into the world of the nature documentary. Read more on UK attractions I walked into the room and picked my seat, with enough space for about 100 people at a time. With the show projected onto all the walls that surround you, it feels a bit like a 360-degree cinema experience. The show begins in space. The room is dark, as projected stars rush over your body, and you zoom past the planets of our solar system. You eventually reach earth - and what happens next is a 50-minute deep dive into the history of life on our planet. Most read in News Travel From the first ever microscopic signs of life, to jellyfish, to the moon landing, you watch how life on earth has adapted and evolved into all sorts of wondrous forms. Now I'm not the most scientific of people - I only knew the basics of evolutionary history from school. Britain's 'Tiger King' Dr Terry Moore stars in Snow Leopards of Leafy London doc 13 It was surreal to see Sir David speak directly to you Credit: Jenna Stevens 13 From scorching hot planets to freezing cold, you begin with a journey through the solar system Credit: Jenna Stevens 13 The first signs of life on planet earth: microbes Credit: Jenna Stevens But my favourite thing about the show is that it wasn't just pretty animations. Whilst you're being wowed by the visuals, you're also learning about history and the latest There's this particular scene that shows how Glowing, cartoon-like mushrooms illuminate the screens, climbing over the walls and building pathways onto the floor. "Those mushrooms are based on time-lapse footage of real mushrooms" says Victoria Bromley, director-producer at Open Planet Studios . "And there's a point where we asked 'Do they look too Disney ? Are people even going to believe that that's real?'" "But the original footage actually looks like that. Nature is just so unbelievable". That's what makes this immersive experience so different to others I've been to before. It's not a flashy lights show - you're watching modern scientific discoveries come to life before your eyes. After spanning thousands of years, the show soon reaches animal life. 13 I thought the mushrooms looked like a Willy Wonka creation - but they were based on real science Credit: Jenna Stevens 13 Observing the apes made me feel like I was in the heart of the jungle Credit: Jenna Stevens You're met with a Whilst the gorilla footage is taken from Listening to David Attenborough excitedly describe the animals around you was way better than watching the documentaries at home. "What's so lovely about Sir David is that he still has this childlike delight in nature" says Victoria. "I see it in my kids, that fascination with a bug or Victoria has been able to work with Sir David on multiple projects and films, and still remembers the first time they worked together. "To get in touch with Sir David, you had to handwrite him a letter. He didn't have email. So I wrote him this letter with all my hopes and dreams". "He loves pangolins, so I wrote and said we're doing this documentary, would you consider doing it? "Then I didn't hear anything, and one day someone came over and said Victoria Bromley, we've got a letter for you'." 13 Sir David has hope for the future, even after all the devastation he has seen Credit: Jenna Stevens 13 The 'fixing our broken planet' section next door has useful tips on what we can do to help the environment Credit: Jenna Stevens Now, after years of collaborations, they have worked together once again to create this exhibit: Our Story . As the show turns to humans, Sir David runs through the highs and lows of human life on earth - everything from And in a heart-warming ending that genuinely got me choked up, Sir David shared how after a near century-long career, he is filled with hope for the future. "Let's use our dazzling minds for good" he says. "And work with the world instead of against it". What a hero. Walking out of the viewing room, I felt moved and inspired, but it was also a real shock to the system. It felt like when the credits start to roll at the cinema, and you remember that you have a real life to go back to after losing yourself for an afternoon. (Can't I just stay, watch the gorillas and listen to David forever? Please?) The exhibit is open to the public from Thursday 19th June. Tickets for adults are £20, with tickets for children aged 4-16 priced at £10. If you're a student, you can get in for £16. If you happen to be a member of the museum, you get 50 per cent off. There's multiple showings a day, starting every hour on the hour. There's also an option to book in for a 'relaxed' viewing, a smaller capacity designed for neurodivergent visitors. 13 The giant whale skeleton in the Natural History Museum is fittingly called 'Hope' Credit: Jenna Stevens 13 Of course I had to go visit the famous roaring T-Rex after the show Credit: Jenna Stevens 13 The visual experience really makes a trip to the Natural History Museum complete Credit: Jenna Stevens
Scottish Sun
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Shamed UK Tiger King's sick confession about dead cats stuffed in FREEZER as creepy life in hoarder hellhole revealed
AS a 'tame' 14st male puma ripped Terry Moore's foot off his leg, he thought he was a dead man. "I was losing so much blood. It took me ten minutes hitting it with a broom, I called my wife and she helped bash it on the head," the 78-year-old says. 18 Britain's 'Tiger King' Terry Moore now uses a wheelchair after being attacked by a puma and losing a foot Credit: w8media 18 His big cat sanctuary has been closed and is in a dilapidated state Credit: w8media 18 Our exclusive pictures show how the abandoned cages have been left to the elements Credit: w8media 18 Moore stashed frozen carcasses of dead cats in his freezers Credit: w8media "The cat freaked out. It is pure luck I had the phone and broom to hand, I wouldn't be here if the air ambulance hadn't come." The November 5 attack, which unfolded after a security door fell off the puma's hide as Moore entered its enclosure, forced doctors to amputate his right leg below the knee. The mauling was the culmination of a stranger-than-fiction downfall for the man dubbed 'Britain's Tiger King', who at his height befriended showbiz heavyweights like Katy Perry and reached TV stardom. That occurred before a police raid at his Hertfordshire-based Cat Survival Trust uncovered a hellish compound of dilapidated enclosures filled with dying, emaciated and disease-ridden big cats living in squalor. Frozen carcasses of critically endangered animals were found in chest freezers and a vet hadn't visited in years. Moore was found guilty of multiple animal welfare offences at St Albans Crown Court in January and The Cat Survival Trust was closed down. The surviving 28 animals were rehomed or euthanised due to significant health issues. Moore, who is waiting to receive a prosthetic leg, was handed a £14,380 fine and banned from keeping animals for five years. Now living as an amputee in a static caravan whiling away his days immersed in conspiracy theories, he denies any wrongdoing. In an exclusive interview, the disgraced keeper doubles down on his widely discredited methods and makes a harrowing confession about the events that led to dead cats being found stuffed in his freezer. And our pictures reveal the extraordinary decline of his once-thriving sanctuary, which now lies abandoned and overgrown with weeds. Britain's 'Tiger King' Dr Terry Moore stars in Snow Leopards of Leafy London doc "It was a smear campaign, that's all it was", a delusional Moore told The Sun of the allegations against him. For 48 years, the wildlife nut wowed TV audiences on The Paul O'Grady Show, Daybreak and Animal Planet with his private collection of the world's rarest big cats. Starting with ocelots and elusive Scottish wild cats in his garden in Stevenage, he grew his operation and, in 1977, bought an unassuming 11.5-acre site just off the A1 in Codicote for £30,000. There, alongside wife Judith, he founded the Cat Survival Trust, a charity taking in cast-offs from British and European zoos with a dream of saving species on the brink of extinction. He said: "They were cats that would have been put down, old and aged cats, cats with long-term illnesses. "We did a lot of studies looking at population behaviour. I went around the world lecturing and attended conferences." Over the years Moore amassed "over 200" big cats, ranging from critically endangered snow leopards, which hail from the Himalayas, to jungle-dwelling jaguars and desert-native caracals. He invested millions into building the facility, which has dozens of enclosures. The site was not open to the public but those who paid membership fees were granted tours and photography days with the animals. Terrence Moore knew how endangered these species were, understood their vulnerability to exploitation and should have been there to protect them Detective Constable Beth Talbot But online reviews of the sanctuary revealed a raft of dangerous practices taking place, including a photo of two kids sticking their fingers through a cage to stroke a Snow Leopard. One review warned: "The place is a complete junkyard... If you love animals please don't come here, it's heartbreaking. "What also got me on edge was that the guide touched these animals through the bars, I did not feel safe here." While the trust made around £7,000 a year from photography days, it was the millions of pounds in donations and gifts in wills left by supporters that kept the site, which cost £5,000 a month to run, afloat. One person left £250,000 to the sanctuary. Moore was eventually found guilty on seven counts of using an endangered animal species for commercial gain without a licence. 18 Moore is now holed up in a caravan on the site Credit: w8media 18 He previously appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show, Animal Planet and Daybreak Credit: Facebook 18 A frozen jungle cat discovered in one of the freezers Credit: SWNS 18 Moore sanctuary was described as a 'hoarder's paradise' Credit: SWNS 18 Investigators found homeopathic remedies rather than widely-accepted medicine Credit: SWNS He said: "We had no help from the Government, that's why we had to do the photo days, the visits. "It's what kept us going. We didn't do it to make a profit." Following intelligence received from the National Wildlife Crime Unit, officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary, accompanied by a vet, raided the site in July 2022. Inside, they discovered animals being treated with homeopathic remedies and others suffering from diseases which Moore had not sought any veterinary care for in years. The site, described by one rescuer as "a hoarder's paradise", appeared to be a twisted scientific experiment based on Moore's rejection of conventional medicine and preference for natural remedies. The place is a complete junkyard... If you love animals please don't come here, it's heartbreaking Online reviewer Evidence presented in court showed he failed to source much-needed medical help for some of the big cats he was responsible for, which were eventually put down. Blood-soaked food preparation areas were found to be lacking appropriate hygiene standards and the enclosures were deemed insecure. Harrowing confession Yet one of the most harrowing discoveries at the site was two chest freezers containing the carcasses of 26 big cats. In an extraordinary admission, Moore now says these creatures, which included a snow leopard, had died in the late 1970s and had been frozen for nearly 50 years. The police said he failed to seek an appropriate cremation option. He claimed: "We weren't allowed to sell the carcasses because of wildlife trade problems. "So all I could do was put them in the freezers. We had two freezers full of big cats." In an even darker revelation, Moore said he would euthanize the animals himself by placing them in a box before sealing a plastic bag over the top and filling it with carbon dioxide. This causes the animal to panic before suffocating to death. "Two minutes and they're dead", he says, chillingly, before ridiculing the conventional veterinary practice of a lethal injection. 18 Moore became a big name and appeared on multiple TV shows Credit: Ken McKay/Shutterstock 18 The animal keeper with Canadian bobcats Credit: T Moore 18 He's been compared to Joe Exotic, from the Netflix show Tiger King Credit: Alamy Police said there were no records of animal deaths kept at the site, records which Moore claims were lost when his computer "went up in smoke". Moore was eventually found guilty of four counts of animal cruelty and using animals for commercial gain without a licence. The charges related to a wildcat named Hamish, a Bengal cat named Jasmine, a jungle cat named Lily and an unnamed caracal. He was cleared of eight counts, namely against two snow leopards, a jaguar, an Amur leopard, a Eurasian lynx kitten, a hybrid cat, geese, and a serval. Following Moore's conviction, a team of 20 rescuers, led by Cam Whitnall, of the Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent, and James Cork, from its sister site Hertfordshire Zoo, worked round the clock for three months to rescue the big cats left behind at the sanctuary. Most were nursed back to health but Comet, a seriously rare Amur leopard, had to be euthanised along with Jags the jaguar, Eurasian lynxes Mrs Pudding and Sally and a serval called Evie. All that remains of the doomed sanctuary are rows upon rows of eerie, overgrown and collapsing enclosures with signs reading: 'KEEP AWAY - THEY BITE!'. 18 The enclosures are now filled with overgrown grass and shrubbery Credit: w8media 18 Signs nailed to the posts are the only signs of the animals that once roamed inside Credit: w8media 18 The site was found to have multiple health and safety concerns Credit: w8media Where did the big cats come from? By Josh Saunders EXOTIC animals have been imported here since the days of the British empire, but their popularity boomed in the 1960s. It was "extremely fashionable" to own a big cat, but by 1976, the Government clamped down with the Dangerous Wild Animals Act. The law ensured the 'pets' had to be registered and provided with suitable living conditions. Many pets were surrendered to zoos and those that couldn't find a new home were put down. As a result, some owners released big cats into the wild - including Lew Fowley, who moved his pride of lions from Birmingham to the Moors and Malvern Hills. TV animal trainer Mary Chipperfield allegedly set several animals free into the Dartmoor wilderness. Abandoning animals in the countryside wasn't illegal due to a loophole, which was amended by 1981. As legislation tightened further over the decades, Rick Minter claims more big cats were released into the wild. Moore's downfall bears a haunting resemblance to the demise of Joe Exotic in the Netflix hit series Tiger King. While slamming Exotic as "an idiot" and "a total showman", he counts Carole Baskin - Joe's nemesis and the target of his murder-for-hire plot which landed him with a 21-year jail term - as a good friend and a "quite amazing" person. Disgraced Moore admits he misses his animals but has no interest in owning another big cat. He is currently re-wilding the dilapidated site despite claiming he has been offered £9million by housing developers. Reflecting on the ordeal, he said: "The animals weren't unhealthy. Yes, you could make every enclosure bigger. But did I get any help from the Government? "Did they pay anything towards the animals we took in from them, or from members of the public that might have released them into the wild? I had no help from them at all!" 18 Big cats were 'forced to live in squalor' at Moore's zoo Credit: Hertfordshire Police 18 One of the dirty freezers, which contained frozen dead animals Credit: SWNS 18 A team of 20 rescuers retrieved many of the surviving big cats Credit: Andrew Styczynski Detective Constable Beth Talbot, from the North Herts Local Crime Unit, who led the investigation, said Moore's case was "complex and unique". She said: 'It is clear from the evidence that the Cat Survival Trust was poorly run. "Terrence Moore knew how endangered these species were, understood their vulnerability to exploitation and should have been there to protect them. "However, several animals at the site were in a sorry state and suffered at the hands of a man who should have looked after them. 'This case showed how Moore had a distaste for modern veterinary medicine and failed to hold accurate records of his animals, some of which face extinction in the wild. The sanctuary should have been a safe haven." Senior Crown Prosecutor in CPS Thames and Chiltern, Jan Muller, added: "Moore exploited some of the animals in his care, leaving them to suffer unnecessarily. 'Evidence showed him failing to source much-needed medical help for some of the big cats he was responsible for. "These animals were forced to live in squalor and Moore neglected them to such an extent that some died from illnesses that could have been treated."
The Irish Sun
29-04-2025
- The Irish Sun
Shamed UK Tiger King's sick confession about dead cats stuffed in FREEZER as creepy life in hoarder hellhole revealed
AS a 'tame' 14st male puma ripped Terry Moore's foot off his leg, he thought he was a dead man. "I was 18 Britain's 'Tiger King' Terry Moore now uses a wheelchair after being attacked by a puma and losing a foot Credit: w8media 18 His big cat sanctuary has been closed and is in a dilapidated state Credit: w8media 18 Our exclusive pictures show how the abandoned cages have been left to the elements Credit: w8media 18 Moore stashed frozen carcasses of dead cats in his freezers Credit: w8media "The cat freaked out. It is pure luck I had the phone and broom to hand, I wouldn't be here if the air ambulance hadn't come." The November 5 attack, which unfolded after a security door fell off the puma's hide as Moore entered its enclosure, forced doctors to The mauling was the culmination of a stranger-than-fiction downfall for the man dubbed ' That occurred before a police raid at his Hertfordshire-based Cat Survival Trust uncovered a hellish compound of dilapidated enclosures filled with dying, emaciated and disease-ridden big cats living in squalor. READ MORE FEATURES Frozen carcasses of critically endangered animals were found in chest freezers and a vet hadn't visited in years. Moore was found guilty of multiple animal welfare offences at St Albans Crown Court in January and The Cat Survival Trust was closed down. The surviving 28 animals were rehomed or euthanised due to significant health issues. Moore, who is waiting to receive a prosthetic leg, was handed a £14,380 fine and banned from keeping animals for five years. Now living as an amputee in a static caravan whiling away his days immersed in conspiracy theories, he denies any wrongdoing. Most read in The Sun In an exclusive interview, the disgraced keeper doubles down on his widely discredited methods and makes a harrowing confession about the events that led to dead cats being found stuffed in his freezer. And our pictures reveal the extraordinary decline of his once-thriving sanctuary, which now lies abandoned and overgrown with weeds. Britain's 'Tiger King' Dr Terry Moore stars in Snow Leopards of Leafy London doc "It was a smear campaign, that's all it was", a delusional Moore told The Sun of the allegations against him. For 48 years, the wildlife nut wowed TV audiences on The Starting with ocelots and elusive Scottish wild cats in his garden in Stevenage, he grew his operation and, in 1977, bought an unassuming 11.5-acre site just off the A1 in Codicote for £30,000. There, alongside wife Judith, he founded the Cat Survival Trust, a charity taking in cast-offs from British and European zoos with a dream of saving species on the brink of extinction. He said: "They were cats that would have been put down, old and aged cats, cats with long-term illnesses. "We did a lot of studies looking at population behaviour. I went around the world lecturing and attended conferences." Over the years Moore amassed "over 200" big cats, ranging from critically endangered snow leopards, which hail from the Himalayas, to jungle-dwelling jaguars and desert-native caracals. He invested millions into building the facility, which has dozens of enclosures. The site was not open to the public but those who paid membership fees were granted tours and photography days with the animals. Terrence Moore knew how endangered these species were, understood their vulnerability to exploitation and should have been there to protect them Detective Constable Beth Talbot But online reviews of the sanctuary revealed a raft of dangerous practices taking place, including a photo of two kids sticking their fingers through a cage to stroke a Snow Leopard. One review warned: "The place is a complete junkyard... If you love animals please don't come here, it's heartbreaking. "What also got me on edge was that the guide touched these animals through the bars, I did not feel safe here." While the trust made around £7,000 a year from photography days, it was the millions of pounds in donations and gifts in wills left by supporters that kept the site, which cost £5,000 a month to run, afloat. One person left £250,000 to the sanctuary. Moore was eventually found guilty on seven counts of using an endangered animal species for commercial gain without a licence. 18 Moore is now holed up in a caravan on the site Credit: w8media 18 He previously appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show, Animal Planet and Daybreak Credit: Facebook 18 A frozen jungle cat discovered in one of the freezers Credit: SWNS 18 Moore sanctuary was described as a 'hoarder's paradise' Credit: SWNS 18 Investigators found homeopathic remedies rather than widely-accepted medicine Credit: SWNS He said: "We had no help from the Government, that's why we had to do the photo days, the visits. "It's what kept us going. We didn't do it to make a profit." Following intelligence received from the National Wildlife Crime Unit, officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary, accompanied by a vet, raided the site in July 2022. Inside, they discovered animals being treated with homeopathic remedies and others suffering from diseases which Moore had not sought any veterinary care for in years. The site, described by one rescuer as "a hoarder's paradise", appeared to be a twisted scientific experiment based on Moore's rejection of conventional medicine and preference for natural remedies. The place is a complete junkyard... If you love animals please don't come here, it's heartbreaking Online reviewer Evidence presented in court showed he failed to source much-needed medical help for some of the big cats he was responsible for, which were eventually put down. Blood-soaked food preparation areas were found to be lacking appropriate hygiene standards and the enclosures were deemed insecure. Harrowing confession Yet one of the most harrowing discoveries at the site was two chest freezers containing the carcasses of 26 big cats. In an extraordinary admission, Moore now says these creatures, which included a snow leopard, had died in the late 1970s and had been frozen for nearly 50 years. The police said he failed to seek an appropriate cremation option. He claimed: "We weren't allowed to sell the carcasses because of wildlife trade problems. "So all I could do was put them in the freezers. We had two freezers full of big cats." In an even darker revelation, Moore said he would euthanize the animals himself by placing them in a box before sealing a plastic bag over the top and filling it with carbon dioxide. This causes the animal to panic before suffocating to death. "Two minutes and they're dead", he says, chillingly, before ridiculing the conventional veterinary practice of a lethal injection. 18 Moore became a big name and appeared on multiple TV shows Credit: Ken McKay/Shutterstock 18 The animal keeper with Canadian bobcats Credit: T Moore 18 He's been compared to Joe Exotic, from the Netflix show Tiger King Credit: Alamy Police said there were no records of animal deaths kept at the site, records which Moore claims were lost when his computer "went up in smoke". Moore was eventually found guilty of four counts of animal cruelty and using animals for commercial gain without a licence. The charges related to a wildcat named Hamish, a Bengal cat named Jasmine, a jungle cat named Lily and an unnamed caracal. He was cleared of eight counts, namely against two snow leopards, a jaguar, an Amur leopard, a Eurasian lynx kitten, a hybrid cat, geese, and a serval. Following Moore's conviction, a team of 20 rescuers, led by Cam Whitnall, of the Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent, and James Cork, from its sister site Hertfordshire Zoo, worked round the clock for three months to rescue the big cats left behind at the sanctuary. Most were nursed back to health but Comet, a seriously rare Amur leopard, had to be euthanised along with Jags the jaguar, Eurasian lynxes Mrs Pudding and Sally and a serval called Evie. All that remains of the doomed sanctuary are rows upon rows of eerie, overgrown and collapsing enclosures with signs reading: 'KEEP AWAY - THEY BITE!'. 18 The enclosures are now filled with overgrown grass and shrubbery Credit: w8media 18 Signs nailed to the posts are the only signs of the animals that once roamed inside Credit: w8media 18 The site was found to have multiple health and safety concerns Credit: w8media Where did the big cats come from? By Josh Saunders EXOTIC animals have been imported here since the days of the British empire, but their popularity boomed in the 1960s. It was "extremely fashionable" to own a big cat, but by 1976, the Government clamped down with the Dangerous Wild Animals Act. The law ensured the 'pets' had to be registered and provided with suitable living conditions. Many pets were surrendered to zoos and those that couldn't find a new home were put down. As a result, some owners released big cats into the wild - including Lew Fowley, who moved his pride of lions from Birmingham to the Moors and Malvern Hills. TV animal trainer Mary Chipperfield allegedly set several animals free into the Dartmoor wilderness. Abandoning animals in the countryside wasn't illegal due to a loophole, which was amended by 1981. As legislation tightened further over the decades, Rick Minter claims more big cats were released into the wild. Moore's downfall bears a haunting resemblance to the demise of Joe Exotic in the Netflix hit series Tiger King. While slamming Exotic as "an idiot" and "a total showman", he counts Carole Baskin - Joe's nemesis and the target of his murder-for-hire plot which landed him with a 21-year jail term - as a good friend and a "quite amazing" person. Disgraced Moore admits he misses his animals but has no interest in owning another big cat. He is currently re-wilding the dilapidated site despite claiming he has been offered £9million by housing developers. Reflecting on the ordeal, he said: "The animals weren't unhealthy. Yes, you could make every enclosure bigger. But did I get any help from the Government? "Did they pay anything towards the animals we took in from them, or from members of the public that might have released them into the wild? I had no help from them at all!" 18 Big cats were 'forced to live in squalor' at Moore's zoo Credit: Hertfordshire Police 18 One of the dirty freezers, which contained frozen dead animals Credit: SWNS 18 A team of 20 rescuers retrieved many of the surviving big cats Credit: Andrew Styczynski Detective Constable Beth Talbot, from the North Herts Local Crime Unit, who led the investigation, said Moore's case was "complex and unique". She said: 'It is clear from the evidence that the Cat Survival Trust was poorly run. "Terrence Moore knew how endangered these species were, understood their vulnerability to exploitation and should have been there to protect them. "However, several animals at the site were in a sorry state and suffered at the hands of a man who should have looked after them. 'This case showed how Moore had a distaste for modern veterinary medicine and failed to hold accurate records of his animals, some of which face extinction in the wild. The sanctuary should have been a safe haven." Senior Crown Prosecutor in CPS Thames and Chiltern, Jan Muller, added: "Moore exploited some of the animals in his care, leaving them to suffer unnecessarily. 'Evidence showed him failing to source much-needed medical help for some of the big cats he was responsible for. "These animals were forced to live in squalor and Moore neglected them to such an extent that some died from illnesses that could have been treated."
The Sun
29-04-2025
- The Sun
Shamed UK Tiger King's sick confession about dead cats stuffed in FREEZER as creepy life in hoarder hellhole revealed
AS a 'tame' 14st male puma ripped Terry Moore's foot off his leg, he thought he was a dead man. "I was losing so much blood. It took me ten minutes hitting it with a broom, I called my wife and she helped bash it on the head," the 78-year-old says. 18 18 18 18 "The cat freaked out. It is pure luck I had the phone and broom to hand, I wouldn't be here if the air ambulance hadn't come." The November 5 attack, which unfolded after a security door fell off the puma's hide as Moore entered its enclosure, forced doctors to amputate his right leg below the knee. The mauling was the culmination of a stranger-than-fiction downfall for the man dubbed ' Britain's Tiger King ', who at his height befriended showbiz heavyweights like Katy Perry and reached TV stardom. That occurred before a police raid at his Hertfordshire -based Cat Survival Trust uncovered a hellish compound of dilapidated enclosures filled with dying, emaciated and disease-ridden big cats living in squalor. Frozen carcasses of critically endangered animals were found in chest freezers and a vet hadn't visited in years. Moore was found guilty of multiple animal welfare offences at St Albans Crown Court in January and The Cat Survival Trust was closed down. The surviving 28 animals were rehomed or euthanised due to significant health issues. Moore, who is waiting to receive a prosthetic leg, was handed a £14,380 fine and banned from keeping animals for five years. Now living as an amputee in a static caravan whiling away his days immersed in conspiracy theories, he denies any wrongdoing. In an exclusive interview, the disgraced keeper doubles down on his widely discredited methods and makes a harrowing confession about the events that led to dead cats being found stuffed in his freezer. And our pictures reveal the extraordinary decline of his once-thriving sanctuary, which now lies abandoned and overgrown with weeds. Britain's 'Tiger King' Dr Terry Moore stars in Snow Leopards of Leafy London doc "It was a smear campaign, that's all it was", a delusional Moore told The Sun of the allegations against him. For 48 years, the wildlife nut wowed TV audiences on The Paul O'Grady Show, Daybreak and Animal Planet with his private collection of the world's rarest big cats. Starting with ocelots and elusive Scottish wild cats in his garden in Stevenage, he grew his operation and, in 1977, bought an unassuming 11.5-acre site just off the A1 in Codicote for £30,000. There, alongside wife Judith, he founded the Cat Survival Trust, a charity taking in cast-offs from British and European zoos with a dream of saving species on the brink of extinction. He said: "They were cats that would have been put down, old and aged cats, cats with long-term illnesses. "We did a lot of studies looking at population behaviour. I went around the world lecturing and attended conferences." Over the years Moore amassed "over 200" big cats, ranging from critically endangered snow leopards, which hail from the Himalayas, to jungle-dwelling jaguars and desert-native caracals. He invested millions into building the facility, which has dozens of enclosures. The site was not open to the public but those who paid membership fees were granted tours and photography days with the animals. Terrence Moore knew how endangered these species were, understood their vulnerability to exploitation and should have been there to protect them Detective Constable Beth Talbot But online reviews of the sanctuary revealed a raft of dangerous practices taking place, including a photo of two kids sticking their fingers through a cage to stroke a Snow Leopard. One review warned: "The place is a complete junkyard... If you love animals please don't come here, it's heartbreaking. "What also got me on edge was that the guide touched these animals through the bars, I did not feel safe here." While the trust made around £7,000 a year from photography days, it was the millions of pounds in donations and gifts in wills left by supporters that kept the site, which cost £5,000 a month to run, afloat. One person left £250,000 to the sanctuary. Moore was eventually found guilty on seven counts of using an endangered animal species for commercial gain without a licence. 18 18 18 18 18 He said: "We had no help from the Government, that's why we had to do the photo days, the visits. "It's what kept us going. We didn't do it to make a profit." Following intelligence received from the National Wildlife Crime Unit, officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary, accompanied by a vet, raided the site in July 2022. Inside, they discovered animals being treated with homeopathic remedies and others suffering from diseases which Moore had not sought any veterinary care for in years. The site, described by one rescuer as "a hoarder's paradise", appeared to be a twisted scientific experiment based on Moore's rejection of conventional medicine and preference for natural remedies. The place is a complete junkyard... If you love animals please don't come here, it's heartbreaking Online reviewer Evidence presented in court showed he failed to source much-needed medical help for some of the big cats he was responsible for, which were eventually put down. Blood-soaked food preparation areas were found to be lacking appropriate hygiene standards and the enclosures were deemed insecure. Harrowing confession Yet one of the most harrowing discoveries at the site was two chest freezers containing the carcasses of 26 big cats. In an extraordinary admission, Moore now says these creatures, which included a snow leopard, had died in the late 1970s and had been frozen for nearly 50 years. The police said he failed to seek an appropriate cremation option. He claimed: "We weren't allowed to sell the carcasses because of wildlife trade problems. "So all I could do was put them in the freezers. We had two freezers full of big cats." In an even darker revelation, Moore said he would euthanize the animals himself by placing them in a box before sealing a plastic bag over the top and filling it with carbon dioxide. This causes the animal to panic before suffocating to death. "Two minutes and they're dead", he says, chillingly, before ridiculing the conventional veterinary practice of a lethal injection. 18 18 18 Police said there were no records of animal deaths kept at the site, records which Moore claims were lost when his computer "went up in smoke". Moore was eventually found guilty of four counts of animal cruelty and using animals for commercial gain without a licence. The charges related to a wildcat named Hamish, a Bengal cat named Jasmine, a jungle cat named Lily and an unnamed caracal. He was cleared of eight counts, namely against two snow leopards, a jaguar, an Amur leopard, a Eurasian lynx kitten, a hybrid cat, geese, and a serval. Following Moore's conviction, a team of 20 rescuers, led by Cam Whitnall, of the Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent, and James Cork, from its sister site Hertfordshire Zoo, worked round the clock for three months to rescue the big cats left behind at the sanctuary. Most were nursed back to health but Comet, a seriously rare Amur leopard, had to be euthanised along with Jags the jaguar, Eurasian lynxes Mrs Pudding and Sally and a serval called Evie. All that remains of the doomed sanctuary are rows upon rows of eerie, overgrown and collapsing enclosures with signs reading: 'KEEP AWAY - THEY BITE!'. 18 18 18 Where did the big cats come from? By Josh Saunders EXOTIC animals have been imported here since the days of the British empire, but their popularity boomed in the 1960s. It was "extremely fashionable" to own a big cat, but by 1976, the Government clamped down with the Dangerous Wild Animals Act. The law ensured the 'pets' had to be registered and provided with suitable living conditions. Many pets were surrendered to zoos and those that couldn't find a new home were put down. As a result, some owners released big cats into the wild - including Lew Fowley, who moved his pride of lions from Birmingham to the Moors and Malvern Hills. TV animal trainer Mary Chipperfield allegedly set several animals free into the Dartmoor wilderness. Abandoning animals in the countryside wasn't illegal due to a loophole, which was amended by 1981. As legislation tightened further over the decades, Rick Minter claims more big cats were released into the wild. Moore's downfall bears a haunting resemblance to the demise of Joe Exotic in the Netflix hit series Tiger King. While slamming Exotic as "an idiot" and "a total showman", he counts Carole Baskin - Joe's nemesis and the target of his murder-for-hire plot which landed him with a 21-year jail term - as a good friend and a "quite amazing" person. Disgraced Moore admits he misses his animals but has no interest in owning another big cat. He is currently re-wilding the dilapidated site despite claiming he has been offered £9million by housing developers. Reflecting on the ordeal, he said: "The animals weren't unhealthy. Yes, you could make every enclosure bigger. But did I get any help from the Government? "Did they pay anything towards the animals we took in from them, or from members of the public that might have released them into the wild? I had no help from them at all!" 18 18 18 Detective Constable Beth Talbot, from the North Herts Local Crime Unit, who led the investigation, said Moore's case was "complex and unique". She said: 'It is clear from the evidence that the Cat Survival Trust was poorly run. "Terrence Moore knew how endangered these species were, understood their vulnerability to exploitation and should have been there to protect them. "However, several animals at the site were in a sorry state and suffered at the hands of a man who should have looked after them. 'This case showed how Moore had a distaste for modern veterinary medicine and failed to hold accurate records of his animals, some of which face extinction in the wild. The sanctuary should have been a safe haven." Senior Crown Prosecutor in CPS Thames and Chiltern, Jan Muller, added: "Moore exploited some of the animals in his care, leaving them to suffer unnecessarily. 'Evidence showed him failing to source much-needed medical help for some of the big cats he was responsible for. "These animals were forced to live in squalor and Moore neglected them to such an extent that some died from illnesses that could have been treated."
