His interests spanned livestock, pigeons, dogs, and exotic animals, many of which he kept in a collection at his house on the Primley Estate in Paignton, Devon.

His breeding expertise won him many prizes, including for cattle, and his blue-coated greyhound, Primley Sceptre, was the first ever "best in show" winner at Crufts in 1928.

The brothers were both keen fox hunters with the South Devon Hunt, and following the outbreak of World War I the Master, Major Cooke-Hurle was recalled to the army.

[4] Herbert's younger brother Charles was killed in 1917 during the Battle of Arras whilst serving with the King's Royal Rifle Corps,[6] having been awarded the Military Cross the previous year for conspicuous gallantry.

[4][8] This started with the gift of a pair of canaries from his mother, but his interests extended across livestock, dogs, and a wide range of other species.

[8] He acquired a number of exotics, including a chimpanzee called Bonny Mary, who appeared in the press as "the cleverest chimp in England".

[11] In the month of opening, the park was visited by an officer of the Inland Revenue, who informed Herbert that he should be charging an 'amusement tax' on ticket sales.

He was then summonsed to appear at court in Paignton, which happened on 21 March 1924, where the magistrates found in favour of the Inland Revenue.

[12] Whitley immediately closed the park to the public, posting notices on the entrances, explaining the dispute and naming the justices involved in the case.

[13] Herbert had some history of clashing with authority, having fought the Paignton Urban District over his refusal to allow surveyors to access his land with a view to placing sewage and sanitation works, which he also lost at court and at appeal.

Both he and William were exempt war service on grounds of their health, and when Chessington Zoo needed to evacuate their animals, Herbert agreed to house them at Primley, and so ended up with a large collection.

[16] Whilst Herbert remained involved, Chessington's Reginald Goddard ran much of the operations, with a focus on entertainment and profit which had never been part of Whitley's style.

The trust also owns and operates Newquay Zoo and previously also ran Living Coasts on Torquay seafront.

[20] In 1928, Whitley's blue-coated greyhound bitch Primley Sceptre became the first dog to win 'Best in Show' at Crufts,[9] from an entry of 9,466 competitors.

[21] He kept the setters as gun dogs, being a keen country sports enthusiast (and leading to his purchase of Slapton Ley in 1921[22] as an excellent spot for waterfowl hunting), and he kept a line of whippets to keep the rabbit population down on his estates.

[31] The Royal Horticultural Society still lists a number of 'Primley Blue' cultivars in their catalogue, including: In 1921, Slapton Ley, a unique freshwater lake separated from the sea by a glacial shingle bank, was at threat of being drained and developed as a holiday resort,[35] and Herbert stepped in to purchase the land.

[23] His closest aide, however, was Gladys Salter who worked for him for over 40 years, including nursing him as his health declined in later life.