What we do

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S. Nigel Platt - born and raised in England, spent his teen years as a private breeder of reptiles while growing as an amateur herpetologist. His professional start was with Cotswold Wildlife Park in Burford, England. He served as Reptile, Amphibian and Aquarium Curator of the third largest collection of reptiles in the UK and established their protocols for safe handling and breeding programs.  He came to the US in 1993 where he grew his career and became known as an expert in the zoological field.

Career highlights

1993 - Herpetologist for the Toledo Zoo, OH

1996 - Animal Curator, Mesker Park Zoo, IN

2000 - General Curator, Greenville Zoo, SC

• Introduced 10 endangered species including Amur Leopard and Orangutans to the zoo.
• Advisor and liaison for several conservation projects

2007 - Reaseheath College Teaching Zoo, Nantwich, England

• Established the entire zoological collection including strategic planning, exhibit design, animal and emergency protocols, licensing

2007 - Executive Director, Safe Haven & Educational Adventures

Service

· Educational and scientific expert for wildlife documentaries, BBC

· Inspector for Her Majesty’s Custom & Excise, UK

· Accreditation inspector, The Association of Zoos and Aquariums

· Train Animal Inspectors (identity/safe handling of reptiles), Greenville County

· Train Medical Staff on venomous bites and stings, Greenville Hospital System

· Antivenin Index Coordinator for nearly 10 years

Nigel continues to serve as Executive Director of Safe Haven while also sharing his expertise by lecturing for institutions such as Reaseheath, Oxford, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Veterinary Conference, Tri-County Veterinary Tech program and Furman University. 

An expert at identification of native animals and plants, he enjoys guiding nature tours and has even lead a group of students on a teaching safari in South Africa.   

He has written numerous contributions to the Annual ASRA Journal of Herpetology in addition to “Reptile House Notes for Inspectors” and “Keeping Venomous Snakes”, both adopted by the Federation of British Zoological Gardens. 

Nigel is also passionate about Rugby and serves as both a coach and referee at the high school, collegiate and senior levels. 

Kim Chiswell - After completing her BS in Chemistry early from Quinnipiac College in Connecticut, Kim decided to follow her lifelong dream of working with animals. Her professional career began in 1993 at a privately owned zoo while she was completing college. Here she had the unique experience of hand raising many animals including leopards, tigers, wolves and bears. In addition to feeding, cleaning and providing enrichment for chimpanzees, orangutans, baboons and other primates, she also presented live animal stage presentations and gave guided group tours. In 1995 Kim set her sights on a new goal and moved to Florida to begin working for Walt Disney World ® Resorts.

Career highlights

· 1993 - Private Zoo working with exotic animals, CT

· 1995 - Walt Disney World ® Resorts, FL

• Educational Programs, Discovery Island ®, Disney’s original Zoo
• Animal keeper, Animal Kingdom ® Theme Park

                  Diet Prep and Nutrition

                  Stage Presentations

                  Guest animal encounters

                  Behavioral research, husbandry and training of animals

                  Area Inspector, AZA and USDA guidelines

· 2000 - Team Leader, North Carolina Zoological Park, NC

• Trained staff in animal husbandry, safety, animal training and the development of educational programs.

· 2007 - Education Director, Safe Haven & Educational Adventures, SC

· 2008 - Veterinary Tech, Sunrise Vet Clinic, SC

Service

· 2001 - Volunteer and consultant, Greenville Zoo, SC

• Train Animal keepers in animal training techniques
• Helped establish a training program for the Orangutans
• Helped run the docent (adult volunteer) program 

Kim’s career with Disney and the Zoos has provided her with a combination of zoological education and animal care experience which is unique to most zoologists. Her career path has been perfectly suited for her role as Director of Education at Safe Haven. 

After she moved to Greenville, SC in 2001 she started adopting exotic animals. During this time she was volunteering at the Greenville Zoo and met S. Nigel Platt. Fast forward about 6 years and together they decided to turn a hobby and dream into reality by starting Safe Haven & Educational Adventures, Inc. Run with the help of a board of directors, Kim and Nigel have turned their homestead into a place where exotic animals come to spend the rest of their lives, well cared for and loved.

As a managing Director, Kim is in charge of education programs for the public but also trains all volunteers in safe animal handling, feeding and care. She can be found at the sanctuary every day running operations and overseeing the volunteers. This is her passion and she wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.