   #copyright

Gerald Durrell

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Writers and critics

   Gerald ('Gerry') Malcolm Durrell OBE ( January 7, 1925 – January 30,
   1995) was a naturalist, zookeeper, conservationist, author, and
   television presenter. He founded what is now called the Durrell
   Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Jersey Zoo (now renamed Durrell
   Wildlife) on the Channel Island of Jersey in 1958, but is perhaps best
   known for writing a number of books based on his life as an animal
   collector and enthusiast. He was the brother of the novelist Lawrence
   Durrell.

Biography

Early life in India and England

   Durrell was born in Jamshedpur, then Bihar Province, India on January
   7, 1925. His parents had themselves been born in India but were of
   English and Irish descent. He was the fourth surviving and final child
   of Louisa Florence Durrell (née Dixie) and Lawrence Samuel Durrell.
   Durrell's father was a British engineer, and as befitting family
   status, the infant Durrell spent most of his time in the company of the
   ayah or nursemaid. Durrell reportedly recalls his first visit to a zoo
   in India, and attributes his life-long love of animals to that
   encounter. The family moved to England after the death of his father in
   1928. Back in England, the Durrells settled in the Upper Norwood -
   Cystal Palace area of South London. Durrell was enrolled in Wickwood
   School, but usually stayed at home feigning illness.

The Corfu years

   The family moved to the Greek island of Corfu in 1935, where Durrell
   began to collect and keep the local fauna as pets. The family stayed
   until 1939. This interval was later the basis of the book My Family and
   Other Animals and its successors, Birds, Beasts, and Relatives, The
   Garden of the Gods and a few short stories. Durrell was home-schooled
   during this time by various family friends and private tutors, mostly
   friends of his eldest brother Lawrence (later to be a famous novelist).
   One of them, the Greek doctor, scientist, poet and philosopher Theodore
   Stephanides would be Durrell's friend and mentor, and his ideas would
   leave a lasting impression on the young Durrell. Together, they would
   examine and Durrell would house Corfu fauna in everything from test
   tubes to bathtubs. The other big influence on Durrell during these
   formative years, according to Durrell, was the writing of French
   naturalist Jean Henri Fabre.

The London years and Whipsnade Zoo

   The family moved back to England in 1939 at the outbreak of World War
   II . Difficult as it was in the war and post-war years to find a job,
   especially for a home-schooled youth, the enterprising Durrell worked
   as a help at an aquarium and pet store. Some reminiscences of this
   period can be found in Fillets of Plaice. His call-up for the war came
   in 1943, but he was exempted from military duty on medical grounds, and
   asked to serve the war effort by working in a farm. After the war,
   Durrell joined Whipsnade Zoo as a junior or student keeper in 1945.
   This move fulfilled a lifelong dream: Durrell claims that his first
   spoken word was "zoo". Beasts in My Belfry recalls events of this
   period.

The early animal expeditions

   Durrell left Whipsnade Zoo in May, 1946 in order to join wildlife
   collecting expeditions of the time, but was denied a place in the
   voyages due to his lack of experience. Durrell's wildlife expeditions
   began with a 1947 trip to the British Cameroons (now Cameroon) with
   ornithologist John Yealland, financed by a £3,000 inheritance from his
   father on the account of turning 21. The animals he brought back were
   sold to London Zoo, Chester Zoo, Paignton Zoo, Bristol Zoo and Belle
   Vue Zoo (Manchester). He continued for many decades, during which time
   he became famous for his work for wildlife conservation.

   He followed this successful expedition up with two further ones with
   fellow Whipsnade zookeeper Ken Smith: a repeat trip to the British
   Cameroon, and to British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1949 and 1950
   respectively. On the first of these trips, he met and befriended the
   enigmatic Fon of Bafut Achirimbi II, the autocratic West African
   chieftain, who would help him organize future missions.

   Because of his dedication towards animals, Durrell housed and fed his
   animals with the best choices possible, never over-collected specimens,
   and did not collect animals with only "show value" which would fetch
   high prices. Such practices differed from other animal collecting
   expeditions of the time, and, as a result, Durrell was broke by the end
   of his third expedition. Further, due to a falling-out with George
   Cansdale, superintendent of the London Zoo, Durrell was blackballed by
   the British zoo community and could not secure a job in most zoos,
   ultimately securing a job at the aquarium at Belle Vue Zoo in
   Manchester for some time.

   On February 26, 1951, after an extended courtship, Durrell married
   Manchester resident Jacqueline ('Jacquie') Sonia Wolfenden — they
   eloped after opposition from her father. Wolfenden would go on to
   accompany Durrell on most of his following animal expeditions, would
   help found and manage the Jersey Zoo, and would write two humorous,
   bestselling memoirs on the lines of Durrell to raise money for
   conservation efforts. Durrell's work pressure, mood swings and drinking
   problem would ultimately lead to their divorce in 1979.

   Based on encouragement from wife Jacquie, and advice from his elder
   brother Lawrence, Gerald Durrell started writing autobiographical
   accounts to raise money. His first book — The Overloaded Ark — was a
   huge success, causing Durrell to follow up with other such accounts.
   While Durrell only made £50 for British rights ( Faber and Faber), he
   obtained £500 from the U.S. rights ( Viking Press) for the book, and
   managed to raise money for a fourth expedition to South America in
   1954. This, however, ran into a political coup d'etat in Paraguay and
   was unsuccessful.

Foundations for the Jersey Zoo

   The publication of My Family and Other Animals in 1956 caused Durrell
   to be well known as an author, and consequently as a naturalist for the
   first time. Royalties from the book, which made bestseller lists in the
   United Kingdom, helped fund Durrell's next expedition.

   Durrell's growing disillusionment with how zoos of the time were run,
   and his belief that zoos should primarily act as reserve banks of
   endangered species, caused him to contemplate founding his own zoo. His
   1957 trip to Cameroon for the third and last time was primarily to
   collect animals which would act as the core collection of his own zoo.
   This expedition was filmed as well, in Durrell's first experiment with
   filming his work with animals. The success of the film To Bafut with
   Beagles, together with a successful radio show documenting his memories
   Encounters with Animals, made Durrell a regular on the BBC Natural
   History unit for decades to come, as well as provide much needed funds
   for his conservation projects.

   On return from Bafut, Durrell put up with his sister Margaret at her
   boarding house in the seaside resort of Bournemouth. The animals were
   housed in her gardens and garage on a temporary basis, while Durrell
   looked at prospective sites for a zoo. To his dismay, both Bournemouth
   and Poole municipalities turned down his ideas for a zoo.

The Zoo and the Trust

   Dodos stand guard at the gates of the Jersey Zoo
   Enlarge
   Dodos stand guard at the gates of the Jersey Zoo

   Durrell founded the Jersey Zoological Park in 1958 to house his growing
   collection of animals. The site for the zoo, a 16th-century manor
   house, Les Augres Manor, came to Durrell's notice by chance after a
   long and unsuccessful search for a suitable site. Durrell leased the
   manor and set up his zoo on the redesigned manor grounds. Durrell
   undertook another, more successful expedition to South America to
   collect endangered species for his zoo in 1958. The zoo was opened to
   the public in 1959 on Easter Sunday.

   As the zoo grew in size, so did the number of projects undertaken to
   save threatened wildlife in other parts of the world. Durrell was
   instrumental in founding the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust, on
   July 6, 1963 to cope with the increasingly difficult challenges of zoo,
   wildlife and habitat management.

   The Trust opened an international wing, the Wildlife Preservation Trust
   International, in USA in 1971, to aid international conservation
   efforts in a better fashion. That year, the Trust bought out Les Augres
   Manor from its owner, Major Hugh Fraser, giving the zoo a permanent
   home.

   Durrell's initiative caused the Fauna and Flora Preservation Society to
   start the World Conference on Breeding Endangered Species in Captivity
   as an Aid to their Survival in 1972 at Jersey, today one of the most
   prestigious conferences in the field. 1972 also saw Princess Anne
   becoming a patron of the Trust, an action which brought the Trust into
   media limelight, and helped raise funds.

   The 1970s saw Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust become a leading zoo
   in the field of captive breeding, championing the cause among species
   like the Lowland Gorilla, and various Mauritian fauna. Durrell visited
   Mauritius several times and co-ordinated large scale conservation
   efforts in Mauritius, involving captive breeding programs for native
   birds and reptiles, ecological recovery of Round Island, training local
   staff, and setting up local in-situ and ex-situ conservation
   facilities. This ultimately led to the founding of the Mauritian
   Wildlife Foundation in 1984.

   Jacquie Durrell separated from and then divorced Gerald Durrell in
   1979, citing his increasing work pressure and associated drinking
   problem.

   Durrell met his second wife Lee McGeorge Durrell in 1977 when he
   lectured at Duke University, where she was studying for a PhD in animal
   communication. They married in 1979. She co-authored a number of books
   with him, including The Amateur Naturalist, and became the Honorary
   Director of the Trust after his death.

   In 1978 Durrell started the training centre for conservationists at the
   zoo, or the "mini-university" in his words. As of 2005, over a thousand
   biologists, naturalists, zoo veterinarians, and zoo architects from 104
   countries have attended the International Training Centre. Durrell was
   also instrumental in forming the Captive Breeding Specialist Group of
   the World Conservation Union in 1982.

   Durrell founded Wildlife Preservation Trust Canada, now Wildlife
   Preservation Canada, in 1985. The official appeal Saving Animals from
   Extinction was launched in 1991, at a time when British zoos were not
   faring well and London Zoo was in danger of closing down.

   In 1989, Gerald Durrell and his wife Lee, along with David Attenborough
   and cricket star David Gower helped launch the World Land Trust (then
   the World Wide Land Conservation Trust). The initial goal of the trust
   was to purchase rain forest land in Belize as part of the Programme for
   Belize.

   1990 saw the Trust establish a conservation program in Madagascar along
   the lines of the Mauritius program. Durrell visited Madagascar in 1990
   to start captive breeding of a number of endemic species like the Aye
   Aye.

   Durrell chose the Dodo, the flightless bird of Mauritius that was
   mercilessly hunted to extinction in the 1600s, as the logo for both the
   Jersey Zoo and the Trust. The children's chapter of the Trust is called
   the Dodo Club. Following his death, the Jersey Wildlife Preservation
   Trust was renamed Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust at the 40th
   anniversary of the Zoo on 26 March, 1999. The Wildlife Preservation
   Trust International also changed their name to Wildlife Trust in 2000,
   adopted the logo of the Black Tamarin.

Final years

   A hard, outdoor life, coupled with heavy drinking, led Durrell to
   health problems in the 1980s. He underwent a hip-replacement surgery in
   a bid to counter arthritis, but suffered from liver problems. His
   health deteriorated rapidly after the 1990 Madagascar trip. Durrell
   died of post-surgical complications following a liver transplantation,
   on January 30, 1995. His ashes are buried under a memorial plaque with
   a quote by William Beebe in Jersey Zoo.

   A memorial celebrating Durrell's life and work was held at the Natural
   History Museum, London on June 28, 1995. Participants included personal
   friends like the famous television presenter David Attenborough, and
   Princess Anne.

Durrell's policy for zoos

   Gerald Durrell was ahead of his time when he postulated the role that a
   20th century zoo should play, primarily in Stationary Ark. His idea
   relies on the following bases:
     * The primary purpose of a zoo should be to act as a reserve of
       critically endangered species which need captive breeding in order
       to survive.
     * They can serve the secondary purposes of educating people about
       wildlife and natural history, and of educating biologists about the
       animal's habits.
     * Zoos should not be run for the purposes of entertainment only, and
       non-threatened species should be re-introduced into their natural
       habitats.
     * An animal should be present in the zoo only as a last resort, when
       all efforts to save it in the wild have failed.

   Durrell's ideas about housing zoo animals also brings his priorities to
   the fore. The bases on which enclosures at Jersey are built:
     * Enclosures should be built keeping in mind — firstly, the comfort
       of the animal (including a private shelter), secondly for the
       convenience of the animal keeper, and finally for the viewing
       comfort of visitors.
     * The size of an enclosure should depend on how large their
       territories might be.
     * The companions of an animal should reflect not only ecological
       niche and biogeographic concerns, but its social abilities as well
       — how well it gets on with other members of its species and other
       species.
     * Every animal deserves food of its choice, sometimes made
       interesting by variation; and a mate of its choice; and a nice, and
       interesting environment.

   Jersey Zoo was the first zoo to only house endangered breeding species,
   and has been one of the pioneers in the field of captive breeding. The
   International Training Centre, and the organization of the conference
   on captive breeding are also notable firsts.

   Gerald Durrell initially faced stiff opposition and criticism from some
   members of the zoo community when he introduced the idea of captive
   breeding, and was only vindicated after successfully breeding a wide
   range of species. One of the most active opposition members was George
   Cansdale, superintendent of the London Zoo and Zoological Society of
   London, and wielder of considerable influence in the zoo community.

   See also: Biogeography, Biogeographic Regions, Ecological niche

Gerald Durrell's books

   Durrell's books, both fiction and non-fiction, have a wry, loose style
   that poked fun at himself as well as those around him. Perhaps his
   best-known work is My Family and Other Animals ( 1956), which tells of
   his idyllic, if oddball, childhood on Corfu. Later made into a TV
   series, it is delightfully deprecating about the whole family,
   especially elder brother Lawrence, who became a famous novelist.
   Despite Durrell's jokes at the expense of "brother Larry," the two were
   close friends all their lives.

   Gerald Durrell always insisted that he wrote for royalties to help the
   cause of environmental stewardship, not out of an inherent love for
   writing. Gerald Durrell describes himself as a writer in comparison to
   his brother Lawrence:

          The subtle difference between us is that he loves writing and I
          don't. To me it's simply a way to make money which enables me to
          do my animal work, nothing more.

   However, he shows a surprising diversity and dexterity in a wide
   variety of writing, including:
     * autobiographical accounts: Most of his works are of such kind —
       characterized by a love for nature and animals, dry wit, crisp
       descriptions and humorous analogies of human beings with animals
       and vice versa. The most famous of these is the Corfu trilogy — My
       Family and Other Animals, Birds, Beasts and Relatives, and The
       Garden of the Gods.
     * short stories: often bordering on the Roald Dahl-esque, like
       "Michelin Man" in Picnic and Suchlike Pandemonium. The latter also
       has an acclaimed gothic horror story titled "The Entrance".
       Marrying Off Mother and Other Stories also has a few short stories.
     * novels: Durrell's only two novels are Rosy is My Relative, the
       story about the bequeathed elephant which Durrell claimed is based
       on real life events; and The Mockery Bird, the fable based loosely
       on the story of Mauritius and the Dodo.
     * technical essays: The Stationary Ark is a collection of technical
       essays on zoo-keeping and conservation.
     * guides: The Amateur Naturalist is the definitive guide for a
       budding naturalist over the last 20 years.
     * stories for young adults: The Donkey Rustlers is an Enid Blyton-ish
       feel good novel, while The Talking Parcel is a fantasy novel for
       younger readers.
     * natural history books for children: The New Noah is a collection of
       encounters with animals from Durrell's previous expeditions,
       written with children in mind.
     * stories for children: Keeper, Toby the Tortoise, The Fantastic
       Dinosaur Adventure, and the The Fantastic Flying Adventure are
       lavishly illustrated stories for young children.
     * board and picture books: the board book series Puppy Stories are
       for infants, and the picture book Island Zoo is for young children
       about the first animals in Jersey Zoo.

   Durrell was also a regular contributor to magazines on both sides of
   the Atlantic like Harper's, Atlantic Monthly, and The Sunday Times
   Supplement. He was also a regular book reviewer for New York Times. A
   number of excerpts and stories from his books were used by Octopus
   Books and Readers' Digest Publishing, including in the Readers' Digest
   Condensed Books.

   Durrell's works have been translated into 31 languages, and made into
   TV serials, and feature films. He has a large cult following in Russia
   and Eastern Europe, in Israel and in various commonwealth countries,
   notably India.

   The British Library houses a collection of Durrell's books, presented
   by him to Alan G. Thomas, as part of the Lawrence Durrell Collection.

Illustrators

   Durrell was a talented artist and caricaturist, but worked with
   numerous illustrators over the years starting with Sabine Braur for The
   Overloaded Ark (published by Faber and Faber). Two of his most
   productive collaborations were with Ralph Thompson (Bafut Beagles,
   Three Singles To Adventure, The New Noah, The Drunken Forest,
   Encounters with Animals, A Zoo in My Luggage, The Whispering Land,
   Menagerie Manor) (published by Rupert Hart-Davis) and Edward Mortelmans
   (Catch Me A Colobus, Beasts in My Belfry, Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons)
   (published by Collins). The illustrations are mostly sketches of animal
   subjects. Ralph Thompson has even visited the Jersey Zoological Park
   in-house during the sketching period for Menagerie Manor.

   Other illustrators who worked with Durrell were Barry L. Driscoll who
   illustrated Two in the Bush, Pat Marriott who illustrated Look at Zoos,
   and Anne Mieke van Ogtrop who illustrated The Talking Parcel and Donkey
   Rustlers.

   Gerald Durrell authored a number of lavishly illustrated children's
   books in his later years. Graham Percy was the illustrator for The
   Fantastic Flying Journey and The Fantastic Dinosaur Adventure. Toby the
   Tortoise and Keeper were illustrated by Keith West. His Puppy board
   books were illustrated by Cliff Wright.

Honours

   Durrell was awarded the Order of the Golden Ark by Prince Bernhard of
   the Netherlands in 1981.

   Durrell received the Order of the British Empire in 1982.

   The National Youth Music Theatre composed and performed the musical
   theatre "The Carnival of Animals" at Fort Regent, Jersey as a tribute
   to Gerald Durrell in 1984.

   Durrell featured in the United Nations' Roll of Honour for
   Environmental Achievement in 1988, becoming part of 500 people ("Global
   500") to be given this honour in the period 1987 – 1992.

   The University of Kent started the Durrell Institute of Conservation
   and Ecology (DICE) in 1989, the first graduate school in the United
   Kingdom to offer degrees and diplomas in conservation and biodiversity.

   The journal Biodiversity and Conservation brought out a special volume
   of the journal in tribute to Gerald Durrell, on the theme of "The Role
   of Zoos" in 1995, following his death.

   The Gerald Durrell Memorial Funds, launched in 1996, are granted in the
   field of conservation by the Wildlife Trust every year.

   The statue park in Miskolc Zoo, one of the oldest zoos in the world,
   created a bust of Gerald Durrell in 1998. The Whipsnade Zoo also
   unveiled a new island for housing primates dedicated to Durrell in 1998
   .

   The BBC Wildlife Photography Awards gives the Gerald Durrell Award for
   the best photograph of an endangered species, starting from 2001.

   The Durrell School in Corfu, established in 2002, offers an academic
   course and tours in the footsteps of the Durrells in Corfu. Botanist
   David Bellamy has conducted field trips in Corfu for the School.

   The town hall of Corfu announced in 2006 that it would rename Corfu
   Bosketto (a park in the city of Corfu) Bosketto Durrell, after Gerald
   and Lawrence Durrell as a mark of respect.

   Wildlife Preservation Canada established the Gerald Durrell Society in
   2006 as recognition for individuals who have made legacy gifts.

   The Gerald Durrell Endemic Wildlife Sanctuary in the Black River Valley
   in Mauritius, is the home of the Mauritius Wildlife Appeal Fund's
   immensely successful captive breeding program for the Mauritius
   Kestrel, Pink Pigeon and Echo Parakeet.

   The Jersey Zoo has erected a bronze statue of Gerald Durrell by John
   Doubleday, cast along with a Ruffed Lemur at his knee, and a Round
   Island Gecko at his feet.

   Jersey brought out stamps honouring the Jersey Wildlife Preservation
   Trust, and Mauritius brought out a stamp based on a race of a rare
   gecko named after Durrell.

   The de-rodentification of Rat Island in St. Lucia by the Durrell
   Wildlife Conservation Trust to create a sanctuary for the St. Lucia
   Whiptail lizard on the lines of Praslin Island has caused an official
   change in name for Rat Island. It is in the process of being renamed
   Durrell Island.

   The Visitors' Centre at the Belize Zoo is named the Gerald Durrell
   Visitors' Centre in honour of Durrell.

   Numerous individual animals of rare species born in captivity have been
   named "Gerry" or "Gerald" as homage to Durrell, among them the first
   Aldabra Giant Tortoise born in captivity.

Species and races named after Durrell

     * Clarkeia durrelli: A fossil brachiopod of the Order Atrypida, from
       the Upper Silurian age, discovered 1982 - there is presently no
       reference to indicate that this species was named in honour of
       Gerald Durrell
     * Nactus serpeninsula durrelli: Durrell's Night Gecko: The Round
       Island race of the Serpent Island Night Gecko is a distinct race
       and was named after both Gerald and Lee Durrell for their
       contribution to saving the gecko and Round Island fauna in general.
       Mauritius released a stamp depicting the race.
     * Ceylonthelphusa durrelli: Durrell's Freshwater Crab: A critically
       rare new species of Sri Lankan freshwater crab.
     * Benthophilus durrelli: Durrell's Tadpole Goby: A new species of
       tadpole goby discovered in 2004
     * Kotchevnik durrelli: A new species of moth of the superfamily
       Cossoidea from Russia

List of major expeditions

   CAPTION: Major expeditions undertaken by Gerald Durrell

   Year Place Primary Purpose Book Film Species in Focus
   1947 / 1948 Mamfe, British Cameroon (now Cameroon) Independent animal
   collecting mission for British zoos The Overloaded Ark — Angwantibo,
   Giant Otter Shrew
   1949 Mamfe and Bafut, British Cameroon (now Cameroon) Independent
   animal collecting mission for British zoos The Bafut Beagles — Galago,
   Hairy Frog, African Golden Cat, Flying mouse
   1950 British Guiana (now Guyana) Independent animal collecting mission
   for British zoos Three Singles to Adventure — Giant Otter, Poison arrow
   frogs, Surinam Toad, Capybara, Brazilian Porcupine
   1953 / 1954 Argentina and Paraguay Partially sponsored animal
   collecting mission The Drunken Forest — Burrowing Owl, Ovenbird,
   Anaconda, Rhea, Giant Anteater
   1957 Bafut, British Cameroon (now Cameroon) Animal collecting mission
   for his own to-be zoo A Zoo in My Luggage To Bafut With Beagles
   Reticulated Python, Patas, Galago, Grey-necked Rockfowl
   1958 Patagonia, Argentina Animal collecting mission for his own Jersey
   Zoo The Whispering Land Look (Argentinian Expedition) South American
   Fur Seal, Patagonian Hare, Vampire Bat, Magellanic Penguin
   1962 Malaysia, and Australia and New Zealand Shooting of the BBC Nature
   series Two In The Bush Two in the Bush Two in the Bush Kakapo, Kākā,
   Kea, Tuatara, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Leadbeater's Possum
   1965 Sierra Leone Animal collecting mission for Jersey Zoo to be made
   into a TV series by BBC Section of Catch Me A Colobus Catch Me A
   Colobus Colobus, African Leopard, Red River Hog, Potto
   1968 Mexico Animal collecting mission for Jersey Zoo Section of Catch
   Me A Colobus — Volcano Rabbit, Thick-billed Parrot
   1969 Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory and Queensland, Australia
   Conservation fact-finding mission, with possible material for book
   never written — — Great Barrier Reef species
   1976 , 1977 Mauritius and other Mascarene Islands Two back-to-back
   in-situ conservation missions and animal collecting expeditions for
   local breeding and Jersey Zoo Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons The
   Mauritius Conservation Mission, The Round Island Project Pink Pigeon,
   Rodriguez Fruit Bat, Round Island Boa, Telfair's Skink, Gunther's
   Gecko, Mauritius Kestrel
   1978 Assam, India and Bhutan In-situ conservation mission and filming
   for an episode in a BBC series — "Animals Are My Life" episode in The
   World About Us series Pigmy Hog
   1982 Mauritius and other Mascarene Islands and Madagascar In-situ
   conservation mission and animal collecting expedition for local
   breeding and Jersey Zoo to be filmed for a BBC TV series about the
   Trust's role in other countries Ark on the Move Ark on the Move Pink
   Pigeon, Rodriguez Fruit Bat, Round Island Boa, Telfair's Skink,
   Gunther's Gecko, Mauritius Kestrel, Indri, Madagascan Boa
   1984 Russia Shooting of the Channel 4 TV series Durrell in Russia
   Durrell in Russia Durrell in Russia Przewalski's Horse, Saiga, Cranes,
   Russian Desman
   1989 Belize As part of Programme for Belize — a conservation project
   which aimed to conserve 250,000 acres (1000 km²) of tropical rain
   forest — — Belizean rain forest species
   1990 Madagascar In-situ conservation mission and animal collecting
   expedition for local breeding and Jersey Zoo The Aye-Aye and I To the
   Island of Aye-Aye Aye Aye, Indri, Ring-tailed Lemur, Alaotran Lemur,
   Tenrec

Radiography and filmography

Featuring Gerald Durrell

     * Encounters With Animals, Radio series, BBC ( 1957)
     * To Bafut With Beagles, TV series, BBC ( 1958)
     * Look (Argentinian Expedition), Single episode in TV series, BBC (
       1961)
     * Zoo Packet, TV series, BBC ( 1961)
     * Animal Magic, Early episodes in TV series, BBC ( 1962 – 1983)
     * Two In The Bush, TV series, BBC ( 1963)
     * Catch Me a Colobus, TV series, BBC ( 1966)
     * The Garden of the Gods, TV series, BBC ( 1967)
     * The Stationary Ark, TV series, Primedia(Canada) / Channel 4(UK) (
       1975)
     * Animals Are My Life, episode in the TV series The World About Us,
       BBC ( 1978)
     * Ark on the Move, TV series, Primedia(Canada) / Channel 4(UK) (
       1982)
     * The Amateur Naturalist, TV series, CBC(USA) / Channel 4(UK) ( 1983)
     * Ourselves & Other Animals, TV series, Primetime Television and
       Harcourt Films ( 1987). Directed by Jeremy marre
     * Durrell in Russia, TV series, Channel 4(UK) ( 1986)
     * Durrell's Ark, one hour documentary, BBC ( 1988)
     * A Day at the Zoo with Phillip Schofield, one hour episode featuring
       Durrell and Jersey Zoo ( 1989)
     * Gerald Durrell — Himself and Other Animals, documentary, Green
       Umbrella Productions ( 1999)
     * Gerald Durrell — Jambo the Gentle Giant, documentary, Green
       Umbrella Productions ( 1999)
     * Gerald Durrell — To the Island of the Aye-Aye, documentary, Green
       Umbrella Productions ( 1999)
     * Safe Hands in a Wild World, documentary, Green Umbrella Productions
       ( 1999)
     * Inside Jersey Zoo, re-release, UK PC Advisor magazine ( 2001)
     * The Round Island Project, re-release, UK PC Advisor magazine (
       2001)
     * The Mauritius Conservation Mission, re-release, UK PC Advisor
       magazine ( 2001)

On Gerald Durrell

     * A Memorial Celebration for the Life of Gerald Durrell ( 1995)
     * World of Animals episode on Gerald Durrell and Jersey Zoo, Channel
       One, Moscow ( 2004)
     * The Wild Life of Gerald Durrell, BBC 4 (December 2005)
     * Wildlife in a War Zone, using archival Durrell footage and
       examining the changes brought about by war in Sierra Leone, Animal
       Planet, May 2006
     * Archive Hour with Bridget Nicholls: Discover Your Inner Durrell,
       BBC Radio 4 Radio (September 2006)

Book by Gerald Durrell

     * The Talking Parcel, Animated movie, directed by Brian Cosgrove,
       Cosgrove Hall ( 1979)
     * My Family and Other Animals, TV series, BBC ( 1989)
     * My Family and Other Animals, Radio drama, BBC Radio 4 ( 2001)
     * The Fantastic Flying Journey, Animated TV series, directed by
       Catherine Robbins and John Coates, Two Sides TV / TV Loonland (
       2001)
     * My Family and Other Animals(remake), TV series, BBC ( 2005) (
       homepage)

Screenplay by Gerald Durrell

     * Tarka the Otter, movie, directed by David Cobham ( 1979)

Trivia

     * The movie Fierce Creatures was dedicated to him.
     * Durrell's book Fillets of Plaice is a pun on the name of the book
       Spirit of Place by elder brother Lawrence.
     * In the Discworld series of books, there is reference to a fictional
       book titled My Family and Other Werewolves — clearly a parody on My
       Family and Other Animals.
     * Three actual books punning the name are Simon Doonan's humorous
       memoir Nasty: My Family and Other Glamorous Varmints, Josephine
       Feeney's comic novel My Family and Other Natural Disasters and
       Stories from my life with the other animals by James McConkey.
     * Gerald Durrell's debut book The Overloaded Ark, and Lawrence
       Durrell's Reflections on a Marine Venus were published
       simultaneously by Faber and Faber, with an advertisement which
       read: Quests animal ... and human — a dual demonstration of the
       enviable art of Durrelling.
     * Whatever Happened to Margo was written by Margaret Durrell in 1951,
       but was only discovered in the attic by a granddaughter nearly 40
       years later. It describes, among other things, Gerald Durrell's
       visit to her house in Bournemouth with a full menagerie of animals.
     * The film crew of Durrell in Russia were the first Western film crew
       from beyond the Iron Curtain granted permission to film in the
       erstwhile U.S.S.R. as part of Mikhail Gorbachev's glasnost
       policies.
     * The titles of several of Gerald Durrell's books were changed for
       release in the USA, a policy similar to that followed for many
       other British authors, in which words not common in America were
       changed — e.g., Beasts in My Belfry was changed to A Bevy of
       Beasts. The Garden of the Gods title was changed because there is a
       location in the USA by the name Garden of the Gods.
     * The "fight scene" between Durrell's pet gecko Geronimo, and a
       larger praying mantis was directed by the Assistant Producer Nigel
       Marvin in the BBC 1989 TV series My Family and Other Animals.
     * Gerald Durrell was voted "South West Hero" in a poll conducted by
       the BBC in 2004, ahead of other contenders like Sir Walter Raleigh,
       Albert Bedane and Billy Butlin. He was also voted the greatest ever
       Channel Islander by readers of the Jersey Evening Post in 2002.
     * Gerald Durrell quotes numerous raunchy limericks in his Corfu
       Trilogy which have not been documented elsewhere, and it is
       probable that some of these owe their origins to Lawrence Durrell,
       Edward Lear and Theodore Stephanides. Gerald Durrell is himself the
       subject of a few limericks written later (see here).
     * A time capsule buried at Jersey Zoo in 1988 contains the following
       popular quote by Durrell, often used in conservation awareness
       campaigns:

          We hope that there will be fireflies and glow-worms at night to
          guide you and butterflies in hedges and forests to greet you.
          We hope that your dawns will have an orchestra of bird song and
          that the sound of their wings and the opalescence of their
          colouring will dazzle you.
          We hope that there will still be the extraordinary varieties of
          creatures sharing the land of the planet with you to enchant you
          and enrich your lives as they have done for us.
          We hope that you will be grateful for having been born into such
          a magical world.

Citations

    1. ^ ( Thomson 1998)
    2. ^ ( McNiven 1998, pp. 79).
    3. ^ ( Gruner 1998)

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