WEST Midland Safari Park’s “animal man” has proved it is never too late to learn, earning a degree at the age of 59.

Bob Lawrence graduated from Nottingham Trent University not only with a first class honours degree but also the Vice Chancellor’s award for outstanding academic achievement alongside an honorary graduate, Sir David Attenborough, under the eye of the University’s Chancellor, Sir Michael Parkinson.

Mr Lawrence also collected a national adult learning award from NIACE (National Institute of Adult Continuing Education), nominated for by the university.

He was one of only two students out of the possible 40 that received a first class degree.

Mr Lawrence’s quest for further education began four years ago, when he enrolled for a BSc (Hons) Zoo Biology course at Nottingham Trent University’s Brackenhurst campus.

He was the only part-time student and had a round trip of 250 miles every week on his day off from the safari park.

During his studies, he has clocked up 39,000 miles, including a field trip to South Africa, while holding down his full-time job as director of wildlife at the safari park, where he is in charge of the parks’ collection of some of the rarest and most endangered animals in the world.

Mr Lawrence was born in 1950 in Kent and due to chronic asthma, did not attend school until he was eight. When he did, it was to the local village school that served around 40 pupils. He failed his 11+ and had no choice but go to secondary school, where he did well.

By the time he left at 19, he had notched up nine 0 levels. When he was young, opportunities to go to university were rare, so for the next four years agricultural college was his next stop.

Despite breaking his back, he obtained an OND.

In 1973, Mr Lawrence joined West Midland Safari Park as a gate keeper and his career began.