Community Heroes: Marc Bradley’s passion saves endangered species

GATE CITY, Va. (WJHL) — Conservation efforts to preserve endangered species are often an uphill battle. But just outside of Gate City, Virginia, Creation Kingdom Director Marc Bradley is doing his part to save some exotic species from extinction, and educating visitors about animals that are not native to our area.

For more than a decade, Marc Bradley has been at home among his exotic wildlife.

“Creation Kingdom Zoo has been here since 2009, so about 15 years,” he said. “I’ve been here from the inception, from the beginning.”

Bradley has a passion for animals, both domestic and exotic.

“I always had a love for animals. I’ve done lots of different things in life, but at the end of the day, I had a passion for the animals we share the planet with. And so I wanted to be able to share that passion with others and be able to make a difference in whatever I’m doing. And so this was an opportunity for us to open the zoo, teach people about the animals we share the planet with, and help them understand the difference.”

Creation Kingdom is one of the few privately-funded zoos that participates with the Species Survival Programs, helping breed animals on the endangered list.

“It’s difficult to control things when we can’t even control humanity,” Bradley said. “And so, you know, that’s it’s a fine balance, being able to make sure that we have open spaces for animals in the wild when the wild is disappearing at an alarming rate.”

It’s an important job that Bradley, a former Marine, doesn’t take lightly and invites visitors to join his cause.

“We want them to walk away from here understanding that we can make a difference, that one person can make a difference.”

Making a difference not only to animals at the zoo, but to the visitors who can play a small part in their survival.

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