A Longleat keeper is taking on a challenging marathon in Africa next month to raise money for a conservation charity. 

Longleat’s lead carnivore keeper Caleb Hall, 36, has worked at the Wiltshire Safari Park for over 12 years, and his love of animals has inspired him to take on the Lewa Safari Marathon in Northern Kenya, fundraising for Tusk - a conservation charity that helps threatened species in Africa.

Caleb will be running in the UNESCO World Heritage site, deemed one of the world’s top ten ‘must do’ routes by Runner’s World and home to more than 70 animal species and 400 species of birds, on Saturday, June 29.

He will face challenging heat and altitude of up to 1750 ft along the 26-mile route.

Wiltshire Times: Longleat keeper Caleb Hall is taking on a fundraising challenge in Africa next month

Caleb said: “Many of the species I’m lucky enough to work with at Longleat are at risk of disappearing forever and that’s why raising money for Tusk is so important to me, because I have such a strong passion for those animals.

“I want to do as much as I can to ensure they are here for the next generation to enjoy. I love looking after my animals, especially our lions here, but if I can do something to help their wild counterparts, that’s exactly what I want to do.

“I ran the London Marathon in 2016 for Tusk and it was a great experience. It was obviously very urban, so I wanted to try the wild experience. The Lewa Marathon has always been a dream of mine because you get to run in the footsteps of wild animals.

“I tend to run about three or four miles each day and throughout my training I’ve been slowly building that up. I now do two 20 mile runs a week, mostly around the fantastic Longleat estate."

“Whilst I can’t prepare for the heat or altitude in Lewa, I’ve been running many of Longleat’s hills and taking in the beautiful landscapes right on our doorstep. I want to raise as much as possible for Tusk. I’ve set my goal at £3,000, but Tusk is worth as much as we can raise. I’m super excited by the challenge of this marathon", he added.

Tusk has supported conservation projects across the continent for over 30 years, with a focus on tackling poaching, habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict, as well as helping local people and organisations who are best positioned to help with these threats.