Cam Whitnall, 30, is a wildlife photographer and children’s TV presenter. Peter Sampson, his grandfather, bought what was branded the worst zoo in Britain in 1984, now Hertfordshire Zoo, and turned it around. The family then opened the Big Cat Sanctuary in 2000 — Whitnall is the managing director. He and his brothers, Aaron and Tyler, travelled 2,800 miles across east Africa to deliver an animal ambulance to the Uganda Wildlife Education and Conservation Centre in 2019, then, a year later, started the CBBC series One Zoo Three. Whitnall documents his life at the zoo and sanctuary for his two million followers on social media and has a photography deal with Nikon. Over the past two years he has helped to bring five lions from Ukrainian zoos to Kent.
Vanda the lion from Ukraine in her new home at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent
RICHARD POHLE FOR THE TIMES
How much is in your wallet?
There is no cash in my wallet, I am strictly card-only. If I do have money in my wallet, I will probably put it in a charity pot or use it to buy some food for a homeless person.
What credit cards do you use?
For my personal spending, I’m a debit card person. I’ve looked at credit cards and probably should have one — people say it helps with getting a mortgage etc, but I haven’t needed that yet. I switch my bank account around quite a lot. I just changed my business account to Tide, which I’m loving — there is so much information on the account compared with my last bank.
Are you a spender or a saver?
Both. In my personal life I save. It’s because I don’t know what to spend it on, in truth. I’m quite fortunate that I can do brand deals that will take me away, so I don’t need to pay for trips and things. So my money is just a safety net for me, and I tuck it away in my Isa until I want to buy a house. I’m a spender in my business, though, and constantly reinvest every year in myself so it can keep growing.
What was your first job?
It was in the zoo on a charity stall, when I was seven or eight. We were selling anything we could and donating it to Friends of the Zoo, a charity that does conservation work around the world. I got £5 a week given to me in a brown envelope.
When I was 13 I was a pots and pans cleaner at a golf club. I was really bad at it. When they were short-staffed, I’d be rallied into helping with the food. I was once asked to make a cheese toastie and absolutely butchered it — it got sent back. Then the chef showed me how to do it properly, so if you want a cheese toastie now … I learnt from a chef.
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I was promoting events at a club called Halo when I was at uni in Bournemouth studying TV production. I was lazy and had a terrible work ethic. That’s probably why the club work suited me, because I didn’t have to get up early and it was pretty easy selling tickets and getting people to come to the club.
After the second year we had to find an internship and that’s when I started at Jungle Creations [a social media agency]. I worked my arse off and, within a week, was hired. Within four months I was made head of video, overseeing a team of 20 people, and creating some of the most viral videos people saw on Facebook back then — we were getting four billion views a month. I got headhunted by big companies in the UK and US, but I always wanted to end up at the zoo and sanctuary.
I went back to uni and finished my degree — that was my safety net. But I had learnt the art of viral video making and social media, which wasn’t really a thing in the UK back then, and wanted to apply that to the zoo. Within a few years our following was in the top three in the country for our sector.
I partnered with a friend of mine to support footballers and TV personalities with their social media, but stopped when my brothers and I got a gig on CBBC and went into children’s presenting. In lockdown I started on TikTok and grew a big following and began to make money through it.
Aaron, Cam and Tyler Whitnall present One Zoo Three on CBBC
Do you remember the first time you felt wealthy?
No, I still don’t think that, and it doesn’t motivate me. Money is lovely, and is really important and helpful, but it’s never been my driver. Purpose and making a difference are what drive me — I’ve had that Disney dream since I was a kid. I’m fortunate that my work enables me to do some incredible things as well. In 2024 I led a project to rescue five lions from Ukraine.
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Are you better off than your parents?
I have no idea. Growing up, the zoo and sanctuary weren’t in the position they are in today. My mum has an incredible work ethic — she’s like a Duracell rabbit and is always on the go — and my dad, an Aussie, is an incredibly intelligent man with a great commercial mindset, so I’ve learnt a lot from him.
I also have two older brothers who motivate me — it’s good being the youngest because you get to learn from their mistakes. We all live and work together, and have done for many years, so I’m fortunate that my family is really close. Of course, it’s not without its problems, but we all want to work together for our end goal and our charities.
Do you own a property?
No, I’m a bit of a nomad right now. I live on site at the sanctuary in Kent and my family are at the zoo in Hertfordshire, and my girlfriend lives near the zoo too. I’m back and forth there most days, which is pretty tiring — depending on the M25, the journey takes anything from one hour 40 to four hours. It’s hard working out what the next two years or even the next six months hold, and that makes it difficult to plan. I want to buy a house within the next year, but I don’t know where.
With his grandfather Peter
Have you ever been hard up?
No, I’m fortunate that my mum and dad have supported me. I would never have been able to afford uni accommodation without them, and working at the zoo on minimum wage, you don’t have a ton of money. When we got One Zoo Three I didn’t want to be on it because I was really self-conscious about having gaps in my teeth, and my dad lent me the money — a couple of grand — to have them fixed. So thankfully my parents have supported me with things I would never have been able to afford.
What’s been your most lucrative work?
Social media deals are mad. I went on a three-week trip across Kenya with Cotis Safaris seeing some of the best eco safari lodges and wildlife. It was out of this world. That trip would have cost about £30,000 — I’d never be able to afford that, but I invested a lot of time and energy in it, so they get something out of it too. They’ve just expanded to Namibia and Botswana, so I’m going again in January.
My trip to the Maldives with Padi, the diving certification brand, was very special. We did lots of water-based activities like scuba diving, duck diving and snorkelling with whale sharks and manta rays. For the trip I ran a social media competition for one of my followers to come with me — I wanted to do it to support the people who follow me. It was a bit of risk, but fortunately I picked well; the guy who came, Aaron, was a complete legend.
I don’t want to say that anyone can make thousands quickly through social media — I get frustrated by the videos saying that. You can only do that if you’re super consistent, good at what you do, and providing the right content. You can compare it with football: only the top 1 per cent are going to make the Premier League. Social media is a career and I know so many success stories, but I also know a lot that weren’t successful. The minute I started treating it like work, I got less enjoyment from it, but I knew it was a decision I had to make.
What’s your money weakness?
Equipment. Hard drives and SD cards — it sounds so minor, but it’s one of my biggest expenses. I have six hard drives on my desk right now, 20 over there — that’s a few thousand pounds’ worth to store all my content. CFexpress cards can cost anything from £200 to £1,000. Micro SD cards start from £20, but from £120 if you want them to be compatible with newer camera models. It adds up quickly and they’re so easy to lose — SD cards are a nightmare.
Do you save into a pension?
Yes, it’s through work and I started about seven years ago.
What’s better for retirement — property or pension?
Probably property. I need to get on the ladder, I’m slacking.
How much did you earn last year?
Not as much as people might think from social media. My expenditure, not earnings, for my personal business this year was £20,000, I know that much.
Do you invest in shares?
No, I invest in myself. I’m now a Nikon creator but, before I got that deal, I’d have to pay for all my own kit and constantly update it: cameras, SD cards, phones, laptops, hard drives, drones, trips. It cost me about £8,000 to get started. Then I did my first trip to Borneo and Sumatra, which cost about £4,000. It was on me to generate the work to pay that back — you’ve got to spend to make money.
My most expensive bit of kit is a Nikon Z9, which was about £6,000. I’ve broken many drones, which sets me back about a grand each time — that’s not helpful.
Your most extravagant purchase?
I’m quite boring, so it’s probably things for other people. For Christmas I bought my family tickets to see Paddington the Musical in London and go for Sunday lunch. It wasn’t that extravagant but there were eight of us. But I didn’t realise how much theatre tickets are — these were more than £200 each!
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What if you won the lottery?
I’d donate it to the zoo and the sanctuary. Maybe I’d buy a house. I’d do the basics that anyone would probably do: put a bit back for the future, give some to my friends and family.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learnt about money?
Don’t spend it all at once. I’m a big believer in having a safety net — I’ve always had one, even if it’s just putting aside a couple of hundred pounds a month from my wage, at least it means you have that if something comes up.
Lion Heart by Cam Whitnall (Ebury £22) is due out in May. Order at timesbookshop.co.uk. Discount available for Times+ members