TES Project Manager, Jack Howell, recently volunteered his time to transport three young lions 140 miles from Whipsnade Zoo in Dunstable to Africa Alive in Lowestoft, all with the full support of his employer. Read the story of how a railway company ended up playing a small but vital role in one of the more unusual animal welfare missions of the year.
When Jack Howell set off from Colchester in a sponsored TES van last Tuesday (12 May), his cargo was a little different from the usual project management brief. Loaded up and ready for a 300-mile round trip, Jack was transporting three young male lions from Whipsnade Zoo in Dunstable to their new home at Africa Alive in Lowestoft. All in a day’s work, as it turns out, when you work for a company that puts community at the heart of everything it does.
The transfer was part of an established practice among UK zoos, which share animals between sites as populations change. Whipsnade had a pregnant female and needed to make space, whilst Africa Alive had recently lost its last remaining lion in March. The three brothers, calm throughout the journey, were heading somewhere they were needed.
Getting the Job Done
The initiative grew from a relationship TES founder Tony Evans had been building with Banham Zoo, which is undergoing a major renovation project and has been calling on the wider community for support. Tony, a self-confessed animal lover, wanted TES to play its part.
“Tony got me involved from the start,” recalls Jack. “He took me up to Banham Zoo to have a look around and understand what they needed. On a second visit, they handed me a list of 40 jobs. I asked them what they actually needed right now, and they said they needed some transport to move some lions.”
Jack didn’t hesitate. He coordinated with TES Fleet Manager, Mick Kiely, to secure the right vehicle, sorted the specialist livestock insurance, and arranged the logistics for a transfer that would take over four hours of careful loading, transportation, and unloading. The company also arranged for vehicle hire partner Herd to sponsor the van with branded TES stickers, turning the trip into a fully visible community effort.
“It wasn’t just me picking up some lions and cruising off,” Jack reflects. “It was a whole day of being part of something we wanted to be recognised for.”
The operation was not without its more dramatic moments. As the lions were being loaded, a wildlife officer stood nearby with a firearm, a sobering reminder of the risks of working with wild animals. “I asked how long a tranquiliser would take to kick in,” Jack said. “She looked at me and said, ‘These aren’t tranquilisers.’ That focused the mind a bit.”
The lions, much to Jack’s relief, were perfectly calm throughout. Having been trained by their keepers to enter and exit the crates, they barely made a sound for the entire journey. Jack completed roughly 300 miles on the day itself, driving from Colchester to Whipsnade, across to Lowestoft, and back home again. He then returned the following day to drive the crates back to Whipsnade, adding another 200 miles to his journey.
A Moment Worth Every Mile
At the end of the transfer, Jack was given a small but memorable reward for his efforts. As the first person to enter the new enclosure alongside Africa Alive’s team member Ross, Jack got to see all three lions together in their new habitat for the first time.
“If I hadn’t seen them settled in, I’d have felt a bit gutted,” he admits. “But seeing them all together in their new home, that made it worth every mile.”
Ross and the travelling keeper both sent personal emails expressing their gratitude too. As Jack put it simply: “It shows how a little help can go a long way.”
More Than a Day Job
For TES, this kind of community initiative is not a one-off. Jack has also donated redundant railway sleepers to Banham Zoo for use around the site, and has since been asked to deliver more to Africa Alive. These activities reflect TES’s strong company values and how the business operates day-to-day.
“You can’t just do your day job anymore,” Jack reflects. “You have to go and do your bit for the community, get involved. And TES really encourages that.”
Bianca Molloy, Managing Director at TES, said: “At TES, social value is about more than what we deliver on the railway – it is about the difference we make for people, communities, and the wider industry through the way we work every day. For us, that means creating meaningful opportunities, supporting health, wellbeing and inclusion, acting responsibly, and building partnerships that help us go further than we could alone. It is particularly important to me that our people feel comfortable giving their time to causes that matter to them, because those experiences can create a real sense of purpose and connection to something bigger than their day-to-day role.
We are committed to practical action, whether that is giving our people time to volunteer, supporting local charities and community initiatives, widening access to employment through fair and inclusive pathways, or working with partners on projects that create lasting impact. Initiatives like supporting Banham Zoo and Africa Alive are a visible example of that approach in action, but they sit within a much bigger commitment to leaving a positive and sustainable legacy wherever TES operates. I am always happy to hear from anyone who wants to partner with us to create an even wider impact.”
TES 2000 is a family-run railway engineering and safety-critical contractor based in Colchester, providing possession management, permanent way maintenance, and technical projects services across the Anglia, Sussex, and North East routes. To find out more, including how to partner with TES on social value activities, visit www.tes2000.co.uk or call 01206 799 111 or email info@tes2000.co.uk.
