Bernard Harrison

Bernard Ming-Deh Harrison (b. 1951, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -) was the CEO of the Singapore Zoological Gardens from 1983 to July 2002. Credited with a creative and innovative vision, Harrison is synonymous with the Singapore Zoo, having brought the Zoo, its open concept of animal display and the Night Safari to international acclaim.

Early Life
Harrison grew up in a close-knit and secure family, with his mother acting as the domestic caregiver and his father as the educator. His father read to both Harrison and his brother every night and had nightly chats about anything the boys had read or seen during the day. Harrison was always surrounded by animals and pets even at a young age. During their teenaged years, both Harrison and his brother followed their father, a prominent British zoologist, on numerous field trips into the Malaysian rain forests, learning firsthand about the tropical flora and fauna. Thus influenced by his father, Harrison soon acquired a love and passion for wild life.

Education
Primary school : Tanglin Preparatory School (Singapore)
 Secondary school : Boarding school in Middlehurst, England
Tertiary education : Manchester University (Britain)

Career
At the age of 22, just after graduating from the University of Manchester in Britain with double honours in zoology and psychology, Harrison applied for the post of Executive Officer with the Singapore Zoological Gardens. Unfortunately, he failed the essay-writing component of the interview and was unsuccessful in getting the job. However, due to his mother's intervention, Harrison eventually was given the meagre-salaried post of an Assistant Administrative Officer. Over the years however, he rose through the ranks as curator and assistant director to become its CEO in 1983 and became known as the "boss of the Singapore Zoo". With his grey-streaked shaggy hair-do and a polo t-shirt as his regular office wear, Harrison was affectionately regarded by employees as a friendly bohemian Tarzan. During his term, he had conceived the idea of new zoo displays such as The Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia (a replica of an Ethiopian village which was opened in 2001 and built at a cost of S$4.2m), The Fragile Forest (a miniature eco-system which opened in 1997 and was built at a cost of S$5m) and The Night Safari (opened in 1994). However, it is the Singapore Zoo's open concept of displaying the animals that Harrison is most respected for. Under his leadership, the animal enclosures were no longer cages with captives, but instead became specially designed playgrounds for creatures. He is even extended the open-concept to the washrooms with see-through fencing and basins amongst plants, an idea inspired by a Bali vacation. The cost of revamping 18 of the zoo's toilets and the Night Safari's six toilets over six years was S$35,000.

When the Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) was formed in 2000 to oversee the operations of the zoo, the Jurong Birdpark and the Night Safari, Harrison was appointed the CEO of WRS. His hands-on approach at work and a "management by trust" style won him both employee loyalty and criticism from higher management.

Harrison tendered in his resignation (effective from September 2002) as CEO of Singapore Zoological Gardens on 20 June 2002, after a 29-year career with them. His temporary successor was Ho Yew Kee. On 15 October 2002, Asad Shiraz, a senior marketing director of tourism in the Singapore Tourism Board, was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Wildlife Reserves Singapore.He will remain as an honorary consultant with the zoo. Harrison plans to set up his own one-man consultancy firm, called, "Harrison and Friends", that will specialise in zoo planning and design, focusing for a start in the Asian region.

Publication
(1984). Malacca and beyond : to-catch me a star. Singapore : Media Masters Singapore.
(Call no. : RSING M823 HAR)
A novella about a boy and his dreams.

Family
Father : John Leonard Harrison, a prominent British Zoologist who specialised in rodent research, was stationed in Singapore as a major in the British army in 1945, where he met his wife. In 1951, he was a zoologist at the Institute of Medical Research in Australia and in 1961, he was an associate professor of Zoology at Singapore's Nanyang University, moving to the University of Singapore to become professor of Zoology in 1963. He passed away in 1972 at the age of 54, from a disease contracted during his research at the Institute of Medical Science in Australia.
Mother : Madam Song Kiew Ying, is a nurse by profession and was born in China, though raised in Ipoh. She was religiously inclined and was also a deaconess of the Jehovah True God Church, while John Harrison was an agnostic.
Elder brother : Edward, is a botanist, who studied at Oxford and is currently based in London.
Ex-wife : Madam Nazli Anwari, a businesswoman who is trained in horticulture and currently runs a spa business. He separated from her in 1999.
Children : Sharda, daughter and Sean, by his ex-wife Nazli
Companion : Tina Lim, 40 and her two children. They share his home, The Ashiana, a 20,000 sq. ft. bungalow at Bright Hill Crescent, Upper Thomson with two large dogs, Smelly and Brandy, an Alaskan malamute and Siberian husky respectively.



Author
Sharon Teng 



References
Sharp, I. (1994). The first 21 years: The Singapore Zoological Gardens story (p. 25). Singapore: Singapore Zoological Gardens.
(Call No.: RSING 590.7445957 SHA)

Boo, K. (2002, July 22). Zoo exodus blamed on management style clash. The Straits Times, Home, p. 3.

Boo, K. (2002, July 3). Zoo man turns in his keys. The Straits Times, Prime News, p. 3.

Boo, K. (2002, July 3). Zoo chief's departure shocks staff. The Straits Times, Home, p. 6. 

Ho, M. (2002, July 13). Wild life. The Straits Times, Life!, pp. 8-9.

Shekaran, K. (1992, November 29). A menagerie of memories. The Straits Times, Sunday Plus, People, p. 4.

Wee, T. (2002, July 7). Leaving the throne for the unknown. The Straits Times, Life!, pp. 2-3.

Tourism man to head and market wildlife parks. (2002, October 16). The Straits Times, Home, p. 6.


Further Readings
Harrison, B. (1986). Designing a naturalistic environment at the Singapore Zoological Gardens. Architecture Journal, 1-6.

Conservation: Where does Singapore Zoological Gardens fit in. (1981). Mirror 17(8), 4-6. 

Singapore Zoo.(n.d). Welcome to the Singapore Zoo. Retrieved December 23, 2004, from www.zoo.com.sg 



The information in this article is valid as at 2002 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources.  It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject.  Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Personalities>>Biographies>>Community Leaders
Chief executive officers--Singapore
Zoos--Singapore
Science and technology>>Zoology

Librarian Recommendations
>> Singapore Zoo


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