Chris Breen

Chris Breen was fortunate enough to visit Zambia on a number of occasions in the early 1980's. This entrenched within him a real love and deep appreciation not only of the African bush but of wildlife, wilderness, travel and photography. Chris managed two small walking safari camps in the heart of Zambia's Luangwa Valley and, after prising himself away, returned to the UK to work in one of the leading London-based travel agencies tailor-making round-the-world holidays. The draw of wildlife was too much though, and after leading numerous trips for another UK tour operator, Chris set up Wildlife Worldwide, a pioneering travel company, in 1992. Wildlife Worldwide has spawned a number of 'offshoots' each of which is highly regarded both in the industry and by the travelling public as a whole. These include Walks Worldwide, Dive Worldwide, Schools Worldwide, Families Worldwide, Equine Adventures and Wildlife Worldwide.

In 2004 Chris created another pioneering concept bringing together photography and art workshops, presentations, music and wildlife charities. This highly unique event visits a different iconic wildlife location each year in the company of wildlife 'celebrities' and experts. To date 'Festival of Wildlife' (as it is known) experts have included David Shepherd (wildlife artist), Jonathan Scott (author and presenter of BBC's 'Big Cat Diary'), John Craven (from the BBC's 'Countryfile'), Mark Carwardine (author, conservationist, wildlife photographer and presenter of BBC's 'Last Chance to See'), Nick Garbutt (author, conservationist and wildlife artist) and Mandy Shepherd (wildlife artist) to name just a few. And, since 2004 Festival of Wildlife has raised in excess of £80,000 for local wildlife organisations and conservation-related charities.

Director

Chris has travelled through much of South, Central and North America, Asia, Australasia and the Pacific, but it is for Africa that he has his greatest travel and wildlife passion. He has visited Africa on countless occasions and has walked, driven, boated or mountain biked in some of Africa's wildest places. His in-depth knowledge of Zambia and frequent return visits to this exceptional wildlife destination are the envy of many of his peers.

Chris Osborn, Wildlife Consultant

Chris caught the travel bug after spending a year in Australia after leaving school. Since then he has travelled extensively throughout the world combining this with his other passion, wildlife.

He has recently visited the Galapagos Islands, Borneo and the mountain gorillas in Uganda. He lists being face to face with a silverback as one of the highlights of his life. He has also been to Japan, Russia and Madagascar.

He hopes in the future to continue visiting unusual new places, which have yet been touched by mass tourism and discover all types of weird and wonderful wildlife.

Clementine Gent, Wildlife Consultant

Having been brought up on a farm in the English countryside, Clem has always had a passion for wildlife and the environment. This led her to complete a degree in Zoology from the University of Edinburgh from where she graduated in 2004.

Clem spent her gap year teaching in a school in Kenya, travelling in Tanzania and Zanzibar as well as working in a safari lodge in Uganda. She has also spent the last three summers in Greece on various conservation projects; working with Sea Turtles, Chameleons and Birds.

Her most memorable experience so far has been seeing Sperm whales in Kaikoura, New Zealand and swimming with dolphins.

Stewart Oak, Website Coordinator

Stewart's fascination for combining his passion for travel with wildlife was planted on a Kenya holiday in his teens. His fondest memory from that safari, was sitting to breakfast at a lodge in the Amboseli National park and watching a seemingly never-ending stream of buffalo arrive to drink at the waterhole just metres away from the balcony.

Stewart has worked in the travel industry for over 7 years now, and has also spent a year travelling and working in Australia. From snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef , Koala spotting in Noosa National Park, to the ubiquitous goannas, kangaroos and wallabies, the wildlife Down Under did not fail to impress.

For combining culture and spectacular scenery with nature, the Far East is his favourite. Highlights have included the Giant Pandas of the Wolong Nature Reserve in China, Periyar National Park in India, Yala National Park in Sri Lanka and the Himalayas from Tibet and North India. Stewart has recently visited the Amazon basin seeing Colombia, Brasil and Peru, and also returned to Australia where he saw the wild dolphins of Tangalooma, and the birdlife of O'Reilly's in Lamington National Park.

Sarah Williams, Wildlife Consultant

Sarah's thirst for travel was first nurtured on a school trip and despite extensive travelling in the intervening years; the thrill of discovery has not been quenched.

Having fallen in love with Africa and keen to understand and acquire a greater appreciation of the flora and wildlife, Sarah completed a game ranger course and absorbed a huge amount of knowledge. She followed this with a period of work as a volunteer on a conservation project which was primarily concerned with the monitoring of Leopard and Elephant in the newly formed Trans Frontier National Park, encompassing areas of Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

She found camping on the banks of the Limpopo with no electricity and waking each morning to the sounds of the bush, to be about as good as it gets.

Although Sarah spent many years living in Australia, it was only on a recent trip that she fulfilled a long held ambition to travel along the west coast from Perth to Darwin. She found the area, especially in the remote far north, to have some of the most breathtaking scenery she had ever seen.

Sarah's future travel plans include South America, Gabon, Madagascar and the list continues...

If you would be interested in joining the Wildlife Worldwide team click here to find out more.

Isabel Ashworth, Wildlife Consultant

Whilst taking a year out between school and university, Isabel worked on a farm in Kenya, caught the 'Africa Bug' and developed a passion for travel. Following a degree in Zoology she saved up to go back packing around the world for thirteen months where she travelled extensively in Australasia and South East Asia.

Isabel then lived in Africa for two years where she worked as an overland tour guide leading trips all over Southern and Eastern Africa. Her most memorable experiences include trekking the mountain gorillas in Uganda, being petrified by hippos grazing at night within inches of her tent at Lake Baringo, marvelling at the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti and tracking leopard on foot in South Luangwa National Park.

Isabel really hopes to travel to Latin America one day and full fill a life long dream of visiting the Galapagos Islands, revelling in the fantastic Patagonian scenery and trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

Mel Kinder, Operations Assistant

Mel's love of travelling was nurtured in her childhood by her father, who travelled extensively through his work and would always return with eagerly anticipated stories and presents from each country.

Mels first independent trip (other than foreign exchanges at school) was to Egypt at the age of 15 to stay with an Egyptian family and experience the bustle and splendour of Cairo. Since then she has enjoyed visiting as many different countries as possible with the highlight so far of a marvellous honeymoon trip to Zambia and Zimbabwe, including white water rafting and canoeing down the Zambezi.

Mel worked as a language school Paris Tour Guide in the summer holidays from college in Brighton, where she studied IT. After nearly 10 years in the IT industry she then gained a first class degree in design from Winchester School of Art.

Since having children, travel plans have been reduced though not abandoned. A trip to Arizona and the Grand Canyon this year provided the whole family with an unforgettable experience. Mel would love to travel to India and see tigers and ultimately, when the children have left home, maybe travel the world by motorbike in the Ewan McGregor/Charlie Boorman Long Way Round style!