His father, John Leonard Harrison, was a retired major in the British army and a zoologist who specialised in rodent-borne diseases.
[8] During Harrison's tenure, the Singapore Zoo saw record-breaking attendance;[9] according to the BBC, it became "one of the most successful in Asia with its open concept of animal display.
[11] The Straits Times writer Yong Hui Mien described Harrison as "Singapore's Doctor Dolittle",[12] although the zoo's celebrity orangutan Ah Meng reportedly disliked him.
[4] In 1997, Harrison separated from his second wife, landscape gardener Nazli;[9][15] he attributed the failure of their ten-year marriage to his working long hours at the zoo.
[9] In 2002, he married former corporate trainer Tina Lim, with whom he established the zoo design consultancy Bernard Harrison & Friends.