Talk:Craig Busch

Zoologist?

Not sure if he can be categorised as a zoologist. Does he have any academic qualifications? -- Alan Liefting-talk- 23:13, 29 November 2007 (UTC)

Agree - he's a lay person with practical experience. Not the same thing Tangoette (talk) 23:39, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

Busch has no formal qualifications. His backgound is that of entrepreneur with a number of failed businesses over the years prior to going to the United States.--MadManTed (talk) 00:53, 9 October 2011 (UTC)

Pure opinion & borderline defamation

Just about everything on this page is pure opinion and speculation, without any facts to support it. Where are the great reviews to support the claim the third season aired to great reviews? Who calls him a wife beater? Karen Greybrook wasn't his wife she was his partner. Has the person that says it's fine to hit a cub got any evidence to support that. Where are the references?

On top of that the grammar is poor. The page needs a complete rewrite and I recommend the content be scrapped until someone who knows what they're talking about can contribute. The wife beater comments are borderline defamatory. He admits to assaulting his ex partner - not the same thing. Shoddy treatment of his partner but not enough to label him a wife beater. Tangoette (talk) 23:38, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

There should be something about that incident on the page - and yes, he did assault his partner, but he had just walked in on her naked in bed with their 2 best friends... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.195.118.23 (talk) 18:58, 24 January 2010 (UTC) So that means he can physically attack a female and leave here with serious injuries wsithout further ado? I don't think your comment is valid or well reasoned. --MadManTed (talk) 00:57, 9 October 2011 (UTC)

Busch had a New Zealand conviction in 1991 for male assaults female. The events leading up to his assault on the late Karen Greybrooke are well documented. --MadManTed (talk) 00:58, 9 October 2011 (UTC)--MadManTed (talk) 00:57, 9 October 2011 (UTC)— Preceding unsigned comment added by MadManTed (talk • contribs) 07:07, 8 October 2011 (UTC)

References

Court case

Is there any information about the court case yet? The C of E. God Save The Queen! (talk) 13:25, 3 February 2010 (UTC) Which court case? --Tangihua (talk) 08:09, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Neutrality

I have requested a review for neutrality here because I feel that the article appears to be mostly skewed towards negative legal issues about him. The C of E God Save the Queen! (talk) 12:04, 18 May 2015 (UTC)

Finding positive information on this person is difficult as most of the information involves a multitude of controversial issues. All the information there is factual and written without bias. Zoohistorian (talk) 11:16, 19 May 2015 (UTC)

• Zoohistorian, you're still around I see. You'll note that I'm removing a whole bunch of the stuff you added: putting in "allegations" in the way that you did, to cut a long story short, is a serious violation of the BLP. Drmies (talk) 17:47, 16 September 2026 (UTC)

  That was what was there at the time and those reviewing it didn't seem to have an issue with it if you see the edit history. Others have also added content as per that history. Your call we'll leave it there. I'm not one bit concerned. What was there was there and sourced. Zoohistorian (talk) 18:41, 23 September 2026 (UTC)

BLP and due weight concerns – request for review

Conflict of interest disclosure: I work with Craig Busch and therefore have a conflict of interest in relation to this article. For that reason I do not want to make changes to contentious material myself, and would appreciate review by independent editors.

I have been looking through this article and am concerned that some of the historical material may not meet the standards required for a biography of a living person, particularly in relation to [[WP:BLP]], [[WP:UNDUE]] and [[WP:NOTNEWS]].

I want to make clear that I am not asking for properly sourced negative information or established matters to be removed simply because they are unfavourable to Busch. My concern is specifically with the considerable amount of space given to historical allegations, threatened legal actions and disputes where the article either does not establish a subsequent finding or outcome, or where the wording may not fully reflect the cited source.

I would particularly appreciate independent review of the following:

• Robert Reece allegation (2006): The article gives a full paragraph to Reece's allegation that Busch owed him NZ$400,000 and states that Reece planned to take court action. The article does not identify a subsequent judgment or outcome establishing the alleged debt. Is a 20-year-old allegation and proposed legal action of sufficient lasting encyclopaedic significance to warrant a paragraph in a biography of a living person?
• 2007 assault conviction: I am not seeking removal of the fact that Busch was convicted of assaulting his former partner, as this is an established and sourced matter. However, I would appreciate review of whether the paragraph gives a sufficiently balanced account of what the cited source reports. The cited New Zealand Herald reporting explains that Busch returned home to find his partner in bed with two other people and records the judge describing the circumstances as "traumatic in the extreme" and Busch's reaction as "human and understandable". The judge imposed the convictions and ordered reparation but imposed no further penalty. The current article gives details of the reported injuries while omitting this context from the same source. I would therefore appreciate an uninvolved editor reviewing whether the paragraph should be revised to provide a more complete and neutral summary of the court proceedings.
• Animal welfare allegations (2009): The article repeats in considerable and graphic detail allegations concerning the killing of cubs, beating of lions and endangering staff. The cited source appears to establish that allegations were made and denied, but the article does not identify any subsequent finding establishing these particular allegations. Given the seriousness of the claims and the requirements applying to biographies of living people, I would appreciate review of whether these detailed allegations should remain, be substantially condensed, or be removed.
• Defamation proceedings (2012): The article reports that a defamation suit was being taken against Busch and his spokeswoman. However, the article gives no subsequent court proceeding, judgment or outcome. I would appreciate review of whether reporting a threatened or proposed legal action that apparently produced no encyclopaedically significant outcome warrants inclusion under [[WP:BLP]], [[WP:UNDUE]] and [[WP:NOTNEWS]].
• Campbell Live material (February 2012): The article currently states that Campbell Live "revealed" that Busch had failed to report injuries to a young boy. However, the archived source attributes the account to Busch's sister Megan Busch. I am concerned that the current wording may convert an attributed allegation into Wikipedia's voice as an established fact. At minimum, I would appreciate an uninvolved editor checking the source against the wording currently used in the article and considering whether the incident is of sufficient lasting significance for inclusion.
• Campbell Live material (April 2012): The article gives another paragraph to allegations concerning unpaid loans, allegedly stolen footage and questions concerning a UK charity. Again, the article does not identify subsequent findings establishing these allegations. I would appreciate review of whether these allegations warrant their present prominence in a biography of a living person and whether the cited source adequately supports all of the claims as currently worded.

There also appears to be a broader due-weight issue with the article as a whole. A substantial portion of the biography is devoted to allegations, financial/legal disputes and employment disputes concentrated within a relatively short period of Busch's life, whereas the television career for which he became internationally known and other aspects of his career receive comparatively limited coverage.

For example, the article itself states that The Lion Man became one of New Zealand's biggest-selling television series internationally, yet much more space is devoted to individual historical disputes and allegations than to Busch's television career.

I appreciate that my connection with the subject means I should not be the person deciding what does or does not belong in the article. That is why I am raising these issues here rather than editing the contentious material myself.

I would be very grateful if uninvolved editors familiar with biography-of-living-persons policy could review these passages and determine whether they should be removed, condensed or reworded.

Thank you. KayKay2312 (talk) 13:46, 13 August 2026 (UTC)

• KayKay2312, I'm looking at it. The problem is that the article is shit--anything neutral or basically biographical is unverified, and the article is overloaded with every negative thing one could find about your guy. Please give me a little time to go through this. Drmies (talk) 17:36, 16 September 2026 (UTC)

  Thank you, much appreciated! KayKay2312 (talk) 14:52, 18 September 2026 (UTC)

Further BLP review – historical allegations and Campbell Live wording

Thank you to the editors who have already reviewed and made changes to this article following the concerns I previously raised. I appreciate the removal of some of the material.

As previously disclosed, I have a personal connection to Craig Busch and therefore recognise that I have a conflict of interest. For that reason, I am not making these changes to the article myself and would appreciate review by uninvolved editors.

2009 animal welfare allegations

The article currently gives considerable detail to allegations made by former Zion Wildlife Gardens staff in 2009, including allegations concerning the killing of cubs, beating of lions and putting staff at risk with tigers. It then states that Busch denied the allegations.

I am concerned about the amount of detail given to these allegations in a biography of a living person. The cited source establishes that allegations were made and denied, but the article does not identify a subsequent conviction, court judgment or other finding substantiating the specific allegations described.

Could an uninvolved editor please consider whether repeating each allegation in this level of detail gives the claims undue weight under [[WP:BLP]] and [[WP:UNDUE]]?

If the event is considered sufficiently significant to retain, would a more proportionate summary be appropriate, for example simply recording that former park staff made animal welfare allegations against Busch in 2009, which he denied?

February 2012 Campbell Live report

I would also appreciate review of the sentence:

"Campbell Live revealed Busch had not reported injuries to a young boy by a lion cub..."

The citation used for this statement is titled "Lion Man's sister claims boy 'mauled at park'" and attributes the allegation to Busch's sister, Megan Busch.

I am concerned that saying in Wikipedia's voice that "Campbell Live revealed" this happened may present an attributed allegation as an established fact.

Could an uninvolved editor please check the cited source and consider either removing this material if it is not of sufficient lasting biographical significance, or rewriting it so that the allegation is clearly attributed to its source rather than stated as fact in Wikipedia's voice?

I am not asking editors to assume that the allegations were false. My concern is that allegations concerning a living person should be clearly presented as allegations and given weight proportionate to their established significance.

Thank you for reviewing this. KayKay2312 (talk) 14:29, 10 September 2026 (UTC)

Karen Greybrook section

== Karen Greybrook

{{help me}}

I wondered whether the paragraph concerning Karen Greybrook could be given a little more context.

At present it says that Craig Busch was convicted of assaulting his former partner in 2007 and then lists her injuries, including a fractured vertebra. I appreciate that this is sourced, and I am not suggesting that the conviction should be removed.

However, the cited NZ Herald reporting also provides significant context that is currently omitted. It states that the incident occurred after Busch found Greybrook in bed with another couple, that Judge Michael Lance described the situation as “traumatic in the extreme” and Busch’s reaction as “human and understandable”, while also making clear that this did not excuse the violence. The report also states that Busch was ordered to pay $8,000 in reparation and that nine other charges were dropped after the Crown offered no evidence.

Would it be more balanced, particularly in a biography of a living person, either to shorten the description of the injuries or to include some of this context rather than presenting the injuries in isolation?

Perhaps something along the lines of:

“In 2007, Busch was convicted in the Whangarei District Court of two charges of assaulting his former partner Karen Greybrook following an incident in 2005 after he found her in bed with another couple. He was ordered to pay $8,000 in reparation. Nine other charges were dropped after the Crown offered no evidence.”

I’d appreciate the views of uninvolved editors on whether wording along these lines would better reflect the cited source and BLP requirements. ~~~~ KayKay2312 (talk) 17:45, 18 September 2026 (UTC)

Request to add a Television career section

I wondered whether the article would benefit from a dedicated Television career section. At present, Craig Busch is identified in the lead as a television personality and is primarily known for ‘‘The Lion Man’’, but his television work is only mentioned briefly within other sections.

I have drafted the following using independent and primary sources and would appreciate other editors’ views on whether a section along these lines would be appropriate:

Television career

Busch became widely known through the New Zealand documentary television series ‘‘The Lion Man’’, produced by Great Southern Television. The programme began broadcasting in New Zealand in 2004 and followed Busch and the staff of Zion Wildlife Gardens as they worked with the park’s lions, tigers and other big cats."The Lion Man". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

Great Southern Television produced three series of ‘‘The Lion Man’’. NZ On Screen describes the programme as an international sales success and states that it was broadcast in more than 120 countries."The Lion Man". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

In 2007, the ‘‘New Zealand Herald’’ reported that the programme had already been sold to 94 countries. Great Southern Television director Phil Smith described it at the time as potentially the biggest-selling New Zealand television series in history and said it had an international audience of more than 200 million viewers."Lion Man gets ready to roar again". The New Zealand Herald. 31 May 2007. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

The series was also broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky One. UK releases of the programme described it as a Sky One wildlife series, with the first two series released as a UK DVD box set in 2008 and the third series subsequently released in the UK."Lion Man DVD". Find-DVD.co.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2026."The Lionman: Series 3". musicMagpie. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

Busch later starred in ‘‘The Lion Man: African Safari’’, which aired on Animal Planet from 2014. The programme followed Busch’s work with big cats and wildlife in South Africa and other locations."Animal Planet to air 'The Lion Man: African Safari'". Indian Television. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

A further series, ‘‘The Lion Man Adventures’’, follows Busch as he establishes a big-cat sanctuary in South Africa. The ten-episode series features lions, tigers and cheetahs and is currently available in the United Kingdom through Amazon’s streaming services. Amazon lists Busch as the programme’s star and a producer."The Lion Man Adventures". Prime Video. Retrieved 19 September 2026."The Lion Man Adventures". JustWatch. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

KayKay2312 (talk) 10:02, 19 September 2026 (UTC)