Gerald Durrell

Introduction

Gerald Malcolm Durrell was a British writer, expert in natural history, zookeeper, and television presenter. On Jersey's Channel Island, he established the Jersey Zoo and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in 1959. Gerald Durrell wrote about forty novels, most of which described his experiences as an avid animal lover and collector. His best-known composition, "My Family and Other Animals" (1956), recounts his experience living in Greece. This book has been the basis for two TV series and a film. Gerald was the younger brother of renowned novelist Lawrence Durrell.

Gerald Durrell had a picture-perfect childhood before rising to prominence and influence as a leading authority who transformed conservation and zoo operations. Though he passed away over twenty- eight years ago, the Jersey Zoo he established is still going strong and has developed into a significant institution for conservation. What's even more noteworthy is the vision for species conservation that this committed animal lover left behind, one that is especially relevant in the current moment.

Early Life and Education

Gerald the author was born in Jamshedpur, British India, on January 7, 1925. He was the youngest of five children; his older sister passed away when she was just a baby. Indian citizens of English and Irish descent, Lawrence and Louisa Durrell were his parents. Gerald's father was an engineer, and the family moved to the Upper Norwood location of South London after Gerald's father passed away in 1928.

Gerald spent a significant amount of his formative years living with a nursemaid in India. One of his most vivid memories from that time is his first visit to a zoo, which he later gave to serving as the source of his lifelong love of animals. Gerald moved to London and attended Wickwood School, but he often stayed at home and made up an excuse to be unwell.

Shifted to Corfu

Leslie, Margaret, and Gerald, Louisa's children, migrated to the Greek island of Corfu in 1935. Her oldest son Lawrence and his spouse Nancy, who had arrived a week prior, were with her. Gerald began gathering native fauna and raising it as a pet while they were on Corfu.

During the years the family lived in Corfu until 1939, Gerald Durrell published books including "Birds, Beasts, and Relatives," "My Family and Other Animals," and "The Garden of the Gods." During this period, he also created a few short stories, including "My Donkey Sally." Corfu was also the backdrop for two TV series and a television film during these years. Gerald didn't go to school at that time; instead, he was taught by several private tutors, most of whom were friends of Lawrence's brother.

Gerald Durrell's teacher, George Wilkinson, was friendly with Theodore Stephanides. He was a Greek-born British physician, scientist, poet, and interpreter. Stephanides was Durrell's best friend and tutor, and the young naturalist was greatly impacted by his ideas. Together, they explored Corfu's fauna, and Durrell preserved the objects he discovered in a range of containers, such as test tubes and bathtubs. Stephanides's daughter, Alexia Mercouri, went with them on their field trips. Durrell and Alexia had been planning to tie the knot, but when World War II broke out in 1939, those plans were ruined.

Gerald Durrell was also influenced in his early years by the writings of naturalists such as Gilbert White, Jean-Henri Fabre, Charles Darwin, and Alfred Russel Wallace.

Whipsnade Zoo

As the Second World War began, Durrell returned to Britain in 1939 with his mother, brother Leslie, and Greek maid Maria Kondos. Finding jobs during and after the war was hard, particularly for someone who had never been to school. Still, the hardworking Durrell managed to get a job in a pet shop and aquarium. All the information on his struggle can be found in his book "Fillets of Plaice."

In 1943, Durrell received an urgent call for the World War, but he was free from enlistment due to a health issue. Instead, he was anticipated to do work on a farm to support the war effort. After the war, he fulfilled a childhood dream of his by working at Whipsnade Zoo as a junior or student keeper. Durrell claims that the first word he spoke was "zoo" (see his book "The Stationary Ark").

Animal Adventure

In May 1946, Durrell left the Whipsnade Zoo to pursue his passion for animal adventure. Because of his inexperience, he was originally turned down, but he persevered. Funded by a legacy of £3,000 from his father, he embarked on an exploration of the British Cameroons (now part of Cameroon) in 1947 with ornithologist John Yealland.

Several zoos, including Belle Vue Zoological Gardens, London Zoo, Chester Zoo, Paignton Zoo, and Bristol Zoo, purchased the creatures from his collection. Alongside colleague zookeeper Ken Smith, Durrell went on two further expeditions: one in 1950 to British Guiana (now Guyana) and the other in 1949 to British Cameroon. During these travels, he also encountered the formidable West African chief Fon of Bafut Achirimbi II, who turned out to be a useful ally in organizing further expeditions.

Using high-quality resources, Durrell took great care to ensure that the animals he gathered had the best care possible. Durrell's expedition placed a higher priority on moral behavior than did those who focused on gathering animals for their high market value or visual appeal. However, by the time he completed his third task, this tactic had cost him money. In addition, Durrell was rejected by the British zoo community due to a disagreement with George Cansdale, the superintendent of the London Zoo. As a result, he needed help finding work at most zoos. He ultimately found employment at Belle Vue Zoo's aquarium in Manchester, where he worked for a while.

Following his marriage to Jacquie, Durrell encountered financial challenges. Encouraged by Jacquie and counseled by his brother Lawrence, he began writing humorous autobiographical stories to generate funds. First and foremost, he needed money, so he wrote to support his animal expeditions and conservation activities.

His first book, "The Overloaded Ark," became an enormous hit even though he only received £50 from the British rights (Faber Faber). Fortunately, he was awarded £500 by the United States (Viking Press), allowing him to acquire funds for a fourth voyage to South America in 1954. Unfortunately, because this attempt was conducted during a political coup in Paraguay, it was unsuccessful.

Bases for the Jersey Zoo

Following the publication of "My Family and Other Animals" in 1956, Durrell rose to prominence in both his writing and natural science fields. The book was a best-seller in the UK, and the revenues it generated were crucial for financing Durrell's subsequent expedition.

Growing discontent with the way zoos were operated at the time led Durrell to advocate for the designation of zoos as reserves and custodians of endangered species. It was this belief that gave him the idea to open his zoo. On his third and final trip to Cameroon in 1957, his main objective was to collect the animals that would form the foundation of the zoo he had always dreamed of.

During this voyage, Durrell decided to try to video his work with animals for the first time. "To Bafut with Beagles," the result, was a documentary that was well received. Durrell also debuted on radio with his autobiographical program, "Encounters with Animals." These initiatives helped to collect funds for Durrell's conservation work and established a strong collaboration between him and the BBC Natural History unit that lasted for decades.

After leaving Bafut, Durrell and his wife Jacquie lived in his sister Margaret's board house in Bournemouth. Durrell temporarily housed his animals in Margaret's garage and gardens while he searched for potential locations for a zoo. Still, his dreams were scuppered when Bournemouth and Poole both objected to the idea of a zoo. This experience served as the inspiration for his book "A Zoo in My Luggage."

The Trust and The Zoo

Gerald Durrell established the Jersey Zoological Park for the collection of his growing animals In 1959. He searched for a long period before settling on Les Augres Manor, a 17th-century mansion. Durrell relinquished ownership of the mansion on March 26, 1959, adorned the surrounding area, and allowed visitors to the zoo.

Durrell launched programs to protect endangered animal species worldwide after the zoo expanded. He played an important role in the 1963 establishment of the Jersey Animal Preservation Trust, which is currently known as the Durrell Wildlife Protection Trust, to address problems with zoo administration and animal protection.

The charity established Wildlife Preservation Charity International in 1971 to support international conservation efforts. The following year, Major Hugh Fraser sold Les Augres Manor to the trust, and it became the zoo's permanent home.

The World Conference on Breeding Endangered Species in Captivity as an Aid to their Survival, organized by the Fauna and Flora Preservation Society, was held in Jersey in 1972, largely because of Durrell's efforts. This is now widely known in the field. In the same year, Princess Anne became an investor in that trust, which brought in funds and media interest.

Throughout the 1970s, the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust gained notoriety as a leader in captive breeding, specializing in animals like other Mauritian species and lowland gorillas. Durrell worked extensively on Mauritius, where he and naturalist Carl Jones co-authored extensive conservation projects. Round Island's ecological recovery, captive breeding initiatives for local birds and reptiles, employee education, and the construction of conservation buildings were some of these projects. These efforts culminated in the establishment of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation in 1984.

Jacquie Durrell explained that Gerald Durrell's growing stress, inebriation, and mounting work pressure were the causes of their separation in 1979 and later divorce. Gerald Durrell met Lee McGeorge Wilson, his second wife, who was pursuing a PhD in animal communication, in 1977 while giving a lecture at Duke University. A year later, in 1978, Durrell wrote her a letter confessing his love for her, and in 1979 they were married. After Durrell passed away, Lee McGeorge Wilson, who co-wrote several books with him, including "The Amateur Naturalist upon his passing, she was appointed honorary director of the trust.

Durrell founded a wildlife conservation training center within the zoo in 1978, referring to it as a "mini-university" on multiple occasions. By 2005, over a thousand zoo architects, naturalists, zoo veterinarians, and biologists from over 100 nations had registered at the International Training Centre. Moreover, Durrell played a major part in the creation of the Captive Breeding Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union in 1982.

In 1985, Gerald Durrell created Wildlife Preservation Trust Canada, now known as Wildlife Preservation Canada. In 1991, he created the official "Saving Animals from Extinction" campaign in response to issues plaguing British zoos, such as the potential closure of London Zoo.

Along with cricket star David Gower, and David Attenborough, Durrell and his partner were critical in the establishment of the World Land Trust (previously known as the World Wide Land Conservation Trust) in 1989. As part of the Program for Belize, it was originally intended to buy land in Belize covered in rainforests. During this period, Durrell became friends with Charles Rycroft, a well-known benefactor who funded construction projects on Jersey, such as the Harcroft Lecture Theatre, as well as conservation efforts in Madagascar, East Africa, and other places.

Motivated by the prosperous conservation endeavor in Mauritius, the nonprofit organization initiated a comparable project in Madagascar in 1990. Gerald Durrell went to Madagascar that year to begin the captive breeding of numerous indigenous species, including the aye-aye (a long-fingered lemur).

Durrell used the dodo, a flightless bird from Mauritius that was driven to extinction in the 17th century, to design the emblems for the Jersey Zoo and the Trust. The Dodo Club was the name of the trust's children's section. Gerald Durrell's estate formally renamed the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust as the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust during the zoo's 40th anniversary celebration on March 26, 1999. A black tamarin served as the emblem for Wildlife Preservation Trust International, which was renamed as Wildlife Trust in 2000.

Like the irreparable destruction of valuable artifacts like a Rembrandt or the Acropolis, Durrell firmly believed that the extinction of an animal species should be viewed as a crime, as he noted in his 1957 book "A Zoo in My Luggage".

Private Life

On February 26, 1951, Durrell married Jacqueline Sonia Wolfenden following a lengthy courtship. They ran away secretly because her father hadn't agreed to their marriage. At first, they lived in a small room in Margaret, Durrell's sister,'s boarding house in Bournemouth (a coastal resort town on the south coast).

Jacquie assisted him on many animal adventures and played an important role in founding and managing the Jersey Zoo. She wrote two funny memoirs to promote environmental conservation, just like Durrell did. However, in 1979, they called it split and filed for divorce because of his drinking issues and work-related stress.

In 1979, Gerald got married to an American, named Lee McGeorge Wilson. In 1977, Gerald had the opportunity to meet Wilson at a Duke University speech in North Carolina. At the time, she was 28 and he was 52. They both had an interest in common which is nature. They stayed married till Gerald passed away.

Death

Durrell had serious health issues throughout the 1980s. He had to have hip replacement surgery to treat his arthritis and liver problems due to alcohol consumption. He fell ill quite quickly in 1990 while on vacation in Madagascar. To address his health, he had a liver transplant at King's College Hospital on March 28, 1994. Shortly after turning 70 years old, on January 30, 1995, he passed away in Jersey General Hospital from septicemia. His ashes were placed at the Jersey Zoo, where a quote by William Beebe may be seen on a memorial plaque.

A memorial service honoring Durrell's life and accomplishments was conducted at the Natural History Museum in London on June 28, 1995. Among the famous attendees were Princess Anne and his close friend David Attenborough.

Books and Writing Style

Durrell frequently makes fun of himself and the people around him in his writing, which has a relaxed and lighthearted tone. One of his most well-known works, "My Family and Other Animals" (1956), recounts his perfect childhood on the Corfu. His family was portrayed in two TV series and a film based on this book, especially his older brother Lawrence, who became a well-known novelist. Despite Durrell's taunts, Lawrence and Durrell remained close friends for the remainder of their lives.

Durrell claims he wrote books to get paid in royalties. However, his desire to use the money he made to support environmental causes and initiatives took priority over his intense love of writing as a profession. While writing wasn't something he was passionate about, he did see it as a means of funding for his environmental conservation.

Unlike his brother, he saw himself primarily as a writer to get the money needed to keep working with animals. He once said that the difference between him and his is that his brother loves to write, but he doesn't. He only sees it as a way to make the money that he needs to continue working with animals.

Among other magazines, Durrell often contributed to Harper's, Atlantic Monthly, and the Sunday Times Supplement. In addition, he wrote book reviews for The New York Times. Books containing quotes from his writings have been published by Octopus Books and Reader's Digest Publishing, including the Reader's Digest Condensed Books. His writings have been translated into thirty-one languages and have been turned into film and television shows. Durrell has large fan bases in Russia, Israel, the Commonwealth countries (including India), and Northern and Eastern Europe. The British Library's Lawrence Durrell Collection contains several of Durrell's publications.

Creator

Throughout his career, Durrell worked with several illustrators despite his talent for drawing and caricatures. From the beginning, he collaborated with Sabine Baur on "The Overloaded Ark." Two notable collaborations were with Ralph Thompson on numerous books and Edward Mortelmans on some volumes. Thompson's pictures frequently featured animals, and he even visited the Jersey Zoological Park to get inspiration for "Menagerie Manor."

In his final years of life, Durrell wrote and illustrated complex children's books. Illustrations by Keith West for "The Fantastic Dinosaur Adventure," "Keeper," "The Fantastic Flying Journey" and "Toby the Tortoise" Cliff Wright provided the illustrations, while Graham Percy did the same for the board books.

Recognitions

• Gerald Durrell received the Order of the Golden Ark in 1981 from Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands.
• That same year, he became a part of the World Cultural Council's formation.
• In 1982, Durrell got the honor of OBE.
• In 1984, the National Youth Music Theatre paid tribute to him by staging The Carnival of the Animals in Jersey.
• In 1988, the UN recognized him for his environmental achievements and included him in the Global 500 People.
  
• The University of Kent established the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) in 1989, which is the first institution of its kind in the United Kingdom and offers degrees in conservation and biodiversity.
• Gerald Durrell was honored in a special volume of the journal Biodiversity and Conservation in 1995 with the theme "The Role of Zoos."
• The Wildlife Trust has been giving out the Gerald Durrell Memorial Funds for maintenance every year since its foundation in 1996.
• In 1998, Gerald Durrell was honored with the naming of a new primate island at Whipsnade Zoo and the building of a sculpture of him in the statue park of the Miskolc Zoo.
• Since 2001, BBC Wildlife and the Natural History Museum have conducted the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The Gerald Durrell is awarded in the competition for the best picture of an endangered animal.
• Established in 2002, the Durrell School provides both academic programs and tours that follow the footsteps of the Durrell family on Corfu. Botanist David Bellamy organized these school field trips.
• In 2006, Corfu town hall announced that Corfu Bosketto, a city park, would now be known as Bosketto Durrell in honor of Gerald and Lawrence Durrell. Corfu town changes the name of a park in honor of Gerald Durrell.
• In 2006, Wildlife Preservation Canada established the Gerald Durrell Society in remembrance of the people who left bequests to him.
• Housed at the Gerald Durrell Endemic Wildlife Sanctuary in the Black River Valley of Mauritius, the successful captive breeding program for the Mauritius kestrel, pink pigeon, and echo parakeet is managed by the Mauritius Wildlife Appeal Fund.
• There is a bronze statue of Gerald Durrell at the Durrell Wildlife Park built by John Doubleday. It shows him kneeling by a ruffed lemur and with a Round Island gecko at his feet.
• Stamps were made in celebration of the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust, and Mauritius honored Durrell, the name of a rare breed of gecko.
• Rat Island in Saint Lucia was de-identified by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and transformed into a whiptail lizard refuge for the species, mimicking Praslin Island. As a result of this initiative, Rat Island is currently officially being renamed Durrell Island.
• The Belize Zoo's visitor center honors Gerald Durrell and is called the Gerald Durrell Visitors' Centre.
• In 2007, two buildings at the Centre for Applied Zoology at Cornwall College Newquay were formally opened by Gerald Durrell's wife, Lee Durrell. The name of Durrell Building is one building among them.

Types (Biodiversity) and Tributes

• Salanoia durrelli: This species of carnivorous animal was found in 2010 near Lake Alaotra, Madagascar. This is Related to the brown-tailed mongoose.
• Centrolene durrellorum: The eastern Andean foothills of Ecuador are home to the translucent frog known as Centrolene durrellorum. It belongs to the family Centrolenidae. It was identified formally in 2005 after being found in 2002. In recognition of Gerald and Lee Durrell's efforts for the global conservation of biodiversity, this frog is named after them.
• Clarkeia Durrell: A fossilized brachiopod from the Upper Silurian epoch belonging to the Atrypida order. Whether Gerald Durrell's name was applied to this 1982-discovered species is still up for debate.
• Nactus serpensinsula durrellorum : The Serpent Island gecko, or Nactus serpensinsula durrellorum, is a unique subspecies that is mostly found in Round Island. It is named for Gerald and Lee Durrell in recognition of their contributions to the conservation of the Round Island gecko and its entire ecology. Mauritius even printed a stamp with this gecko on it.

Conclusion

Up until his passing in 1995, he wrote around forty books. He was a well-known environmentalist and author. Gerald Durrell dedicated his life to preserving endangered creatures and fighting for improved treatment of animals in zoos. Through his writings and films, he tried to give the message to the viewer to save the environment.