Leo Oosterweghel, Director, Dublin Zoo

Where did you go to school?

I was schooled in the Netherlands.

What was your best subject?

It was nature studies - this subject is not available on the Irish curriculum.

What was your worst subject?

Definitely physical education.

If you could put a new subject on the syllabus, what would it be?

I think students should learn peace studies.

What was your earliest career ambition?

I always wanted to explore a rainforest and hopefully to discover a new species of animal.

Who was your favorite teacher and why?

My favourite teacher was an old biology teacher who took us to a beach after a storm to look for shells.

Who was your childhood idol?

The conservationist, writer and zoo director, Gerald Durrell.

Who was your best friend?

It was my pet Mexican axolotl.

What is he/she doing now?

He's still living in an aquarium in my mother's loft, as far as I know.

What TV programme reminds you of your schooldays?

I used to watch a show in which two animal lovers, Armand and Michaela Denis, explored the wilds of Africa.

What song most reminds you of your schooldays?

I didn't pay much attention to music as I am completely tone deaf.

What food most reminds you of your schooldays?

Raw herrings.

What was your school uniform like?

We didn't have uniforms.

What was your most memorable holiday?

In the mid-1950s I crossed the Alps by car with my family. I'll never forget it because we had a breakdown and while we were waiting for the radiator to cool down, I went exploring and saw my first snake between the boulders.

What's the last book you read? An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore.

Did you go to college and if so, what did you study?

Insects of course!

Would you send your own children to the same school that you went to?

I have no children; my biological clock never ticked that loudly.

What was the best thing about your education?

We had to learn lots of different languages. That was a big bonus because Dutch isn't exactly an international language.

What was the worst thing about your education?

The over-crowded classrooms in the Netherlands when I was in school. That's what we baby boomers had to put up with.