The former Canberra Zoo curator will soon take up the operations manager's role at the Zion Wildlife Zoo, following the tragic death of zookeeper Dalu Mincube, who was mauled by a lion last week.

Mr Husband is no stranger to being around lions. At the Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve in Queensland several years ago he famously coaxed a lion back through a hole accidentally opened with a steel brush cutter. Over the years, he has been dubbed the Lion Man, for his affinity with the animals.

When not running zoos around the country, Mr Husband and wife Wendy live at a Taralga district property and run Zooworks Animal Consultancy.

He was looking forward to the New Zealand appointment and returning to his country of birth.

"The challenges I'll face will be working on a tight schedule to re-open the park, there are many safety issues with the animal enclosures and current zoo keeping practices that will need attention," he said.

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