Tommy Taylor

Given the name Thomas at birth, this man is now called Tom by his family and friends in England and other parts of the world, but is pretty much universally known as Tommy Taylor by his Thai friends and his many contacts in wildlife protection and conservation.  This nickname was bestowed upon Tom by a dear Australian friend, during his time as a WFFT volunteer. Tommy Taylor in the second-in-charge at Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, and trusted lieutenant and heir-apparent to WFFT’s founder and head honcho, the renown Edwin Wiek. (You can read about him on my website too.)

Tommy states he isn’t fazed by the prospect of having to take the reins at WFFT when Edwin wishes or needs to step down as the Chief of the Foundation, but acknowledges it will signal the end of his ability to avoid the limelight.  Edwin is the powerhouse behind WFFT, and its very public face.  He has been the controversial one, the ideas man, the one with the star power to obtain and hold onto corporate sponsors and generous private benefactors, while Tommy’s role as operations manager of the Foundation’s many branches and activities has been less glamorous perhaps, but very practical and completely essential. Edwin had the foresight to realise that as WFFT grew, he alone was unable to bear the staggeringly high work load involved, and was lucky enough, or calculating enough, or indeed both, to recognise he had the skilled, passionate man that he needed right in front of him.

Tommy is very strategic and highly organised, and has a staff of about 110 committed employees, along with a team of willing volunteers, to assist him in carrying out the Foundation’s core business. It is fortuitous then that Tommy has his feet firmly planted on the ground at all times, while his emotions have taken very deep root in the ground upon which WFFT is situated, almost as if he has a spiritual connection to it, as a native inhabitant. Thailand is definitely where Tommy’s heart is, where he will forever call home.  What he does at WFFT isn’t a job, it isn’t even a calling: he says it is a lifestyle, and should he ever have another intimate relationship, it will only be possible if the person also embraces the lifestyle of a passionate wildlife conservator.

Tommy’s involvement with WFFT began in May 2008 when he arrived in Thailand as a WFFT volunteer.  He had visited Thailand on holiday in 2006, so already was familiar with the people and the climate, so different from his childhood home in Lancashire in north-western England, where he grew up the younger of two sons to a father who had a business in graphic design and a mother who was a fashion designer.  He had originally signed up for a three-month stint as a volunteer, but ended up staying for six in response to Thailand’s siren-like call.

Tommy had only been back home in England for a few months, just long enough to get his university enrolment all sorted, when he was contacted by Edwin with a job offer.  Tommy quickly accepted and was back at WFFT, working as the Volunteer Co-ordinator.  His highly developed organisational and interpersonal skills had been noticed, and requested.

Tommy spent a few years making the role his own, and although he was a valued member of the team, he wanted to do more, to be more. So, Tommy left his job and returned to England in 2012 to pursue a Bachelor of Wildlife and Practical Conservation at university. But Edwin and WFFT weren’t about to let this talented and committed man out of their grasp.  Upon completing his studies at the end of 2015, Tommy was again offered a job, this time with further responsibilities commensurate with his qualifications and experience. WFFT was in his very blood, and there it remains.

Tommy loves Hua Hin and its environs for its ready access to the natural world.  He can’t live without his car, because it provides him freedom to escape into nature when the stresses of his job escalate, a much-preferred option to drinking too much alcohol to destress.  As he gets older, Tommy is appreciating more and more that to care for animals as he desires, he needs to care for and nurture himself, both physically and mentally, better than he currently does.  On the day I visited him at WFFT, he was hobbling, the result of a small wound on his leg that he had left without proper attention for a week, in an environment with lots of flies.  I shook my head and pulled a wry face.  Tommy has a very animated face himself, and his honesty shines though.  He will never have a career as a poker player.

Tommy has had other jobs. As a July baby, he was still only 15 when he sat his school leaving exams, the GSCEs.  At school he excelled in neither academic or sporting pursuits, though he displayed talent in creative areas, particularly with textiles and had dreamt of following in his mother’s footsteps designing clothing and accessories.  On leaving school, Tommy flirted with the idea of becoming a primary-school teacher and actually spent 3 months at college before the lure of a salary, now, led to him abandoning that prospective career.  He then worked in a rather mundane administrative position in an office for almost 3 years, before deciding to embark on an Australian odyssey as a 19-year-old.  It was while living in Adelaide, Australia that he decided to follow his passion for animal welfare and signed up to volunteer at WFFT, but he had to return home to work for 9 more months before he was able to fund his Thailand adventure.

Just recently, another jewel in the crown for Tommy and WFFT has been hosting the 15th annual conference of WARN Asia, The Wildlife Animal Rescue Network, its first post-pandemic conference, which saw stakeholders again able to share their experiences and expertise.  The very cordial relationship WFFT now maintains with the Thai government was marked by the fact that Mr. Attapol Charoenshunsa, the Director-General of Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation (DNP), formally opened the conference. WFFT welcomed and was grateful for his commitment to protecting and preserving the region’s wildlife. Of course, Tommy had meticulously planned and carefully orchestrated even the smallest aspect of this event! He cautiously admitted to me that his wardrobe is organised according to both size and colour considerations, so even though I wasn’t there, I would be prepared to swear to it.

At the very top of Tommy’s aims for the future is to extend the rescue and release program capability of WFFT, though even greater collaboration with government agencies such as the DNP.  This will require the establishment and policing of a greater number of protected areas where rehabilitated wildlife of many species can safely and successfully be reintroduced to their natural environments. Although the wildlife rescue centre at WFFT is world-standard, it is an environment of last-resort, and animals are only housed there when circumstances mean there is no possible way to release them from captivity.

Another area of the Foundation’s activities which is benefitting from greater collaboration with the DNP is the ability to track, intercept and prosecute those who illegally traffic animals or their body parts.  This is still a huge problem facing authorities is Asia.  Tommy told me that as a teenager, he would never have been able to imagine himself addressing a group of stakeholders and activists, including Thai government officials about the illegal trade in tiger penises, as recently happened.  Opening frank and earnest dialogue is the key to seeing a greater number of successful prosecutions of those perpetrating this kind of horrendous crime against animals.

The glee on Tommy’s face was enough to light a room.  He loves prosecutions, and sees each one he is involved in as a significant personal achievement.  Tommy highlighted to me the importance of those prosecutions since there is a direct connection and correlation between these traffickers and those who distribute illegal weapons and methamphetamines.  A concerted attack on one of these evils leads to a reduction in the others as well.

Tommy is an eternal optimist.  Despite his acknowledgement of the huge climate crisis that looms and the dangers social media can inflict on young people in particular, he remains adamant that the world is improving in lots of ways.  Certainly, there is a much better global appreciation of the need for wildlife protection and active conservation and he applauds the ethical stance many tourists now take, refraining from participation in activities which are exploitative of animals, such as riding elephants and petting big cats as photo opportunities.

An early riser, Tom is up at around 5am and quickly addresses the routine, administrative tasks of the day such as dealing with his emails, so he can move onto the more rewarding tasks, interacting with the animals in WFFT’s care and his loyal staff and volunteers. Tommy describes himself as stubborn (I told him tenacious means the same thing, just with a more positive connotation), hard-working and loyal.  It is clear he also inspires loyalty within his staff.  They share a great camaraderie, a frequent joke, and no-one takes themselves too seriously. Working with Tommy as your boss would be wonderful because he emphasised to me a number of times how important it is to him to ensure he stays humble and never gives anyone the impression that he thinks he is in any way more important or more worthy than the next person. It is important that relationships with his staff are positive, since they are like family. 

WFFT is all-consuming and Tommy has to make a very conscious effort to maintain a life outside of it, and ensuring he doesn’t let his responsibilities to the animals and the staff weigh him down too much. Indeed, Tommy and his colleagues have already been known to sit with a drink and reminisce about the “golden covid times”.  Huh? Although the financial struggle to find money to maintain quality food and care for the animals was at fever-pitch, with no volunteers around, there was the feeling of being in a perfect bubble, with time for reflection.  For once, Tommy had time to scratch himself, to take stock and to savour WFFT’s achievements. I asked Tommy about his bucket-list, and he admits he wants one, he needs one, he just hasn’t had the time to think about one yet.

When Tommy has opportunity to write a bucket list, near the top will likely be a return to the French/Swiss Alps to hike and immerse himself in nature, a place in his fond, childhood holiday memories.  He will eat freshly baked bread with salty butter and hard European cheese.  He will make time to spend longer pottering in his garden or treating himself to plant shopping, a pastime which reminds him of growing his own vegetables and herbs on his allotment in England. He might even spend more time reading or watching material from Sir David Attenborough, his most admired living person. For Tommy, continuing to learn and grow is what makes living worthwhile.

But on hearing the recent media updates from WFFT and talking to Tommy and Edwin, I doubt there will be much rest for either of them in the near future. In recent weeks, WFFT has received an official request for their help in the rescue and rehoming of 53 big cats, 35 tigers and 18 leopards who are in a now-closed facility in northern Thailand, and in dire need of WFFT’s services.  Although WFFT had heard some whispers about this project months ago, now the request has been received through official channels, a huge, closely- planned operation must swing into action.  The vet team will need to assess each animal and prioritise their health needs to ensure the most urgent cases are rescued first, a highly complex undertaking as each animal will require monitored sedation during the 12-hour car trip in an air-conditioned vehicle back to WFFT headquarters. 

But the transportation phase can only commence one secured housing is established.  Tommy told me that enclosures suitable for the leopards are almost prepared, but space for the tigers is touch-and-go.  What is needed most is funding, and every baht counts. Edwin is currently seeking corporate sponsorship for this historic rescue event, which will impact media worldwide, but with these cats being young, it must be a commitment to ongoing rather than one-off involvement.

On the day I travelled recently to talk to Tommy and again encountered Edwin, I thought this was a mammoth task they faced.  Little did I know they would face another bombshell, the death of a woman who owned a menagerie of animals including more than 70 gibbons of a number of species, over 20 macaques, an Asiatic black bear and an otter.  Tommy has to visit as soon as possible to assess the situation and start his strategic planning.