HE'S seen it flourish and grow into one of the country's top zoos, but after four decades Marwell veteran Bill Hall says the next ten years should be even better.

This month 57-year-old Bill Hall celebrates 40 years since he first started working in zoos, having spent 30 of them at the zoological park in Colden Common.

In his time he's seen generations of some of the world's rarest animals come and go, but says his proudest moment is still seeing these endangered animals return to the wild.

He said: "Really that's the epitome of what we do here at Marwell, and in many ways it is what I remember most about this place."

Bill, who lives just outside the gates to the park, began his career at London Zoo as England lifted the football World Cup in 1966.