Jersey Zoo (formerly Durrell Wildlife Park) is a

zoological park A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zool ...

established in 1959 on the island of

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the ...

in the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Ka ...

by naturalist and writer

Gerald Durrell Gerald Malcolm Durrell, (7 January 1925 – 30 January 1995) was a British naturalist, writer, zookeeper, conservationist, and television presenter. He founded the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Jersey Zoo on the Channel Island o ...

(1925–1995). It is operated by the

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is a conservation organization with a mission to save species from extinction. Gerald Durrell founded the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust as a charitable institution in 1963 with the dodo as its symbol. Th ...

. It has approximately 169,000 visitors per year; visitor numbers tend to vary with the tourist trade to Jersey. Jersey Zoo has always concentrated on rare and

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

. It has

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur ...

s, birds,

amphibian Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbo ...

s and

reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates ( lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalia ...

s, comprising over 130 species. Since 1964, the zoo has been home to the

(formerly the ''Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust'').

Overview

The park is located at Les Augrès Manor,

Trinity, Jersey Trinity (french: La Trinité, Jèrriais: ''La Trinneté'') is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey in the Channel Islands. It is north of St Helier. It has a population of 3,156.''Portrait of the Channel Islands'', Raoul Lemprière, 1970 The par ...

, north of

Saint Helier St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; french: Saint-Hélier) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St Helier has a population of 35,822 – over one-third of the total population of Jersey – ...

. It officially opened on 26 March 1959. The park is situated in of landscaped parkland and water-gardens. The Trust has a strong commitment to looking after the Island's native wildlife, and large areas within the grounds have been designated native habitat areas. The extensive planting of flowering and fruiting trees throughout the grounds also serves to attract a plethora of wild birds and insects. Included in the former are several species of bird which used to be commonly seen in island gardens but have become increasingly scarce, including the

house sparrow The house sparrow (''Passer domesticus'') is a bird of the Old World sparrow, sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of and a mass of . Females and young birds are coloured pale ...

and

song thrush The song thrush (''Turdus philomelos'') is a thrush that breeds across the West Palearctic. It has brown upper-parts and black-spotted cream or buff underparts and has three recognised subspecies. Its distinctive song, which has repeated musica ...

. There are over 50 nest-boxes positioned around the grounds, which are used by a variety of birds including

barn owl The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himala ...

kestrels The term kestrel (from french: crécerelle, derivative from , i.e. ratchet) is the common name given to several species of predatory birds from the falcon genus ''Falco''. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviou ...

, swallows and

house martins ''Delichon'' is a small genus of passerine birds that belongs to the swallow family and contains four species called house martins. These are chunky, bull-headed and short-tailed birds, blackish-blue above with a contrasting white rump, and ...

. Other animals which are commonly seen within the grounds are the

red squirrel The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' common throughout Europe and Asia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent. In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbe ...

bank vole The bank vole (''Myodes glareolus'') is a small vole with red-brown fur and some grey patches, with a tail about half as long as its body. A rodent, it lives in woodland areas and is around in length. The bank vole is found in much of Europe an ...

, and the

short-toed treecreeper The short-toed treecreeper (''Certhia brachydactyla'') is a small passerine bird found in woodlands through much of the warmer regions of Europe and into north Africa. It has a generally more southerly distribution than the other European treecr ...

History

Gerald Durrell began his career capturing animals for other zoos, but thought that the facilities needed to concentrate more on animal

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

rather than mere entertainment. He started the zoo in 1959. Durrell tells the story of starting the zoo in his book "

Menagerie Manor ''Menagerie Manor'' is a book by Gerald Durrell, published in 1964. The book is a collection of pen portraits of some of the creatures of Gerald Durrell's Zoo - and some of the lessons Durrell learned about making real and sustaining his childho ...

" and others. In January 2008 plans known as "New Vision" were unveiled for the future of the zoo. These ambitious plans had an emphasis on the notion of 'TopSpots'; places where the greatest diversity of animals are found such as islands and highlands. The plan included projects including African Bai, an environment mirroring the ecology of the African habitat that the western lowland gorillas would need to adapt to if one day it would be safe for them to be left alone in the wild; Mascarenia, to the mammals, birds and terrapins of Madagascar, Mauritius and islands of the western Indean Ocean; and eco-lodge cabins for visitors to stay in. It was budgeted that the cost of the redevelopment would be in the region of £46 million over the next five years. All funds needed to be raised through public and private donations. But most of the plan was eventually cancelled due to costs. In May 2011, a new visitor centre and restaurant was officially opened by

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of ...

. Access to the zoo is not required for access to the restaurant. A webcam service has been recently developed at Durrell Wildlife Park. Cameras have been installed in the

meerkat MeerKAT, originally the Karoo Array Telescope, is a radio telescope consisting of 64 antennas in the Meerkat National Park, in the Northern Cape of South Africa. In 2003, South Africa submitted an expression of interest to host the Square Ki ...

enclosure, as well as in those of the Telfair's skinks, the

Livingstone's fruit bat Livingstone's fruit bat (''Pteropus livingstonii''), also called the Comoro flying fox, is a megabat in the genus ''Pteropus''. It is an Old World fruit bat found only in the Anjouan and Mohéli islands in the Union of the Comoros in the western ...

s and in the Kirindy Forest, the home of a rare and colourful bird collection. The webcam lets viewers to those species at times when they are often inaccessible, including watching the fruit bats during the evening when they are most active. In 2015 an infant

silverback gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...

named Indigo who lived at the park was chosen to be the mascot of the

2015 Island Games The XVI Island Games (also known as the ''2015 NatWest Island Games'' for sponsorship reasons) was held in Jersey, Channel Islands, from 27 June to 3 July 2015. This was the second time that the island has hosted the games, the first being in 199 ...

which were held on the island.

Exhibits

Jewels of the Forest

Opened in 2004, this exhibit houses various Asian birds such as: *

Palawan peacock-pheasant The Palawan peacock-pheasant (''Polyplectron napoleonis'') is a medium-sized (up to 50 cm long) bird in the family Phasianidae. It is featured prominently in the culture of the indigenous people of Palawan. The bird is also depicted in t ...

* Blue-crowned laughingthrush * Red-tailed laughingthrush *

White-rumped shama The white-rumped shama (''Copsychus malabaricus'') is a small passerine bird of the family Muscicapidae. Native to densely vegetated habitats in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, its popularity as a cage-bird and songster has led to it ...

Nicobar pigeon The Nicobar pigeon (''Caloenas nicobarica'', Car: ') is a bird found on small islands and in coastal regions from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, east through the Malay Archipelago, to the Solomons and Palau. It is the only living membe ...

* Emerald dove * Mindanao bleeding-heart dove *

Java sparrow The Java sparrow (''Padda oryzivora''), also known as Java finch, Java rice sparrow or Java rice bird, is a small passerine bird. This estrildid finch is a resident breeding bird in Java, Bali and Bawean in Indonesia. It is a popular cage bird, ...

* Pekin robin *

Hooded pitta The hooded pitta (''Pitta sordida'') is a passerine bird in the family Pittidae. It is common in eastern and southeastern Asia and maritime Southeast Asia, where it lives in several types of forests as well as on plantations and other cultivated ...

Chestnut-backed thrush The chestnut-backed thrush (''Geokichla dohertyi'') is a ground thrush species endemic to Lombok, Timor and the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia. The species is rapidly declining and it is already extinct on Lombok and possibly on Lesser Sund ...

* Asian fairy-bluebird * Grey-faced liocichla

Cloud Forest

Opened in 1999, the Cloud Forest is the first enclosure at Durrell to feature mixed animals, including carnivorous species. * Andean bear * Ring-tailed coati *

Black howler The black howler (''Alouatta caraya'') or black-and-gold howler, is among the largest New World monkeys and a member of the '' Alouatta'' genus. The black howler is distributed in areas of South America such as Paraguay, southern Brazil, easte ...

monkey * Brazilian tanager * Orange-bellied euphonia * Red-cowled cardinal * Silver-throated tanager

Princess Royal Pavilion

The Pavilion was opened by HRH Princess Anne in the 1970s, and serves as a conference centre, and classroom. The theatre shows films depicting the work of the trust, and also exhibits artwork. It highlights the work undertaken by the Trust around the world. The Pavilion also houses a number of species which are used for educational aspect of conservation. They include corn snakes,

rainbow boa The rainbow boa (''Epicrates cenchria'') is a boa species endemic to Central and South America. A semi-arboreal species (not only do they climb in they wild but also proven in captivity), it is known for its attractive iridescent/holographic s ...

milk snake The milk snake or milksnake (''Lampropeltis triangulum''), is a species of kingsnake; 24 subspecies are currently recognized. ''Lampropeltis elapsoides'', the scarlet kingsnake, was formerly classified as a 25th subspecies (''L. t. elapsoides'') ...

s, New Guinea blue-tongued skinks,

giant African land snail Giant African land snail is the common name of several species within the family Achatinidae, a family of unusually large African terrestrial snails: * '' Achatina achatina'', also known as the agate snail or Ghana tiger snail * ''Lissachatina fuli ...

s, giant millipedes,

Madagascar hissing cockroach The Madagascar hissing cockroach (''Gromphadorhina portentosa''), also known as the hissing cockroach or simply hisser, is one of the largest species of cockroach, reaching at maturity. They are native to the island of Madagascar, which is off ...

es, and Macleays spectre, a large stick insect.

The Gaherty Reptile and Amphibian Centre

The reptile house is the home of many species of reptiles and amphibians. The Gaherty Reptile and Amphibian Centre was so named because of a gift from Canadian philanthropist Geoff Gaherty. ;Reptiles *

Burmese python The Burmese python (''Python bivittatus'') is one of the largest species of snakes. It is native to a large area of Southeast Asia and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Until 2009, it was considered a subspecies of the Indian pytho ...

* Radiated tortoise * Galapagos giant tortoise * Flat-backed spider tortoise * Lesser Antillean iguana *

Komodo dragon The Komodo dragon (''Varanus komodoensis''), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. It is the largest extant ...

Round Island skink ''Leiolopisma telfairii'', also known commonly as the Round Island ground skink, the Round Island skink, and Telfair's skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Round Island, one of the islands of Mauri ...

Spiny turtle The spiny turtle (''Heosemys spinosa'') is a South-East Asian turtle species. It inhabits lowland and hill rainforest, usually in the vicinity of small streams, mainly in hill areas up to 900 m above sea level. Description The origin of its c ...

Panther chameleon The panther chameleon (''Furcifer pardalis'') is a species of chameleon found in the eastern and northern parts of Madagascar in a tropical forest biome. Additionally, it has been introduced to Réunion and Mauritius. Taxonomy The Nosy Be pa ...

*Rio Fuerte beaded lizard * Lesser night gecko * Martinique's anole * Serrated casquehead iguana * European adder ;Amphibians *

Strawberry poison-dart frog The strawberry poison frog, strawberry poison-dart frog or blue jeans poison frog (''Oophaga pumilio'', formerly ''Dendrobates pumilio'') is a species of small poison dart frog found in Central America. It is common throughout its range, which ex ...

Blue poison dart frog The blue poison dart frog or blue poison arrow frog (''Dendrobates tinctorius "azureus"'') is a poison dart frog found in the forests surrounded by the Sipaliwini Savanna, which is located in southern Suriname (known in Surinamese Dutch and adj ...

* Golden poison dart frog *

Mountain chicken ''Leptodactylus fallax'', commonly known as the mountain chicken or giant ditch frog, is a critically endangered species of frog that is native to the Caribbean islands of Dominica and Montserrat. The population declined by at least 80% from 19 ...

Mission golden-eyed tree frog The Mission golden-eyed tree frog or Amazon milk frog (''Trachycephalus resinifictrix'') is a large species of arboreal frog native to the Amazon Rainforest The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; f ...

*Jersey

agile frog The agile frog (''Rana dalmatina'') is a European frog in the genus ''Rana'' of the true frog family, Ranidae. Description This species is fat and has long limbs and a pointy snout. Adult males are rarely larger than 6.5 cm, while females ...

;Alien Invaders One issue which Durrell highlights is the effect of what happens when a non-native species is introduced to an environment and the damaging effect they can have. Case examples in the park include *

Cane toad The cane toad (''Rhinella marina''), also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad native to South and mainland Central America, but which has been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania ...

Discovery Desert

Suricata suricatta -Durrell Wildlife Park, Jersey, UK-8

The Discovery Desert was opened in April 2009, and was designed to give the family of

s more room to roam, and ensure they don't dig for freedom. Discovery desert is a mixed species exhibit featuring other animals which share the meerkat's habitat in the wild, and pose no threat to each other, such as the

yellow mongoose The yellow mongoose (''Cynictis penicillata''), sometimes referred to as the red meerkat, is a member of the mongoose family. It averages about in weight and about in length. It lives in open country, semi-desert scrubland and grasslands in An ...

Gorillas

The

western lowland gorilla The western lowland gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla gorilla'') is one of two Critically Endangered subspecies of the western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') that lives in montane, primary and secondary forest and lowland swampland in central Af ...

family has been represented at Durrell since it first opened in 1959, when they had only an infant female (thought to be male at first) gorilla named ''N'Pongo'', who was later joined by a younger infant female gorilla named ''Nandi'', and continue today to be one of the icons of the park. The current enclosure includes a good sized outdoor play area, and three internal rooms, two large on-show ones and a smaller off-show one. The current family of five is led by a silverback called ''Badongo'', who was born in

La Vallée des Singes La Vallée des Singes ("The Valley of the Monkeys") is a primate park in Romagne, France. History La Vallée des Singes was founded by Wim Mager who had previously founded the Apenheul Primate Park in the Netherlands in 1971, which is the first ...

. ''Badongo'' is the successor of ''Ya Kwanza''. The remaining members of the family are female. From the Jambo era, are ''Kishka'', and ''Kahilli'', (Jambo x N'Pongo). There is also a young female named ''Bahasha''. ''Kahilli'' has had two offspring from ''Ya Kwanza'', a male named ''Mapema'', and a female named ''Ya Pili''. In 2007 the family suffered the loss of the youngest gorilla ''Ya Pili''. The other three females did not bred with ''Ya Kwanza''. One of the plans for the future is a new larger gorilla complex, allowing for a larger family, top rated facilities and a chance to start familiarising the species with others they would come across in the wild such as the red river hog. ;Jambo Jambo was a gorilla who was born in 1961, in the Zoo Basel, Switzerland. Jambo shot to international news stardom overnight on 31 August 1986, when five-year-old Levan Merritt fell into the gorilla enclosure and lost consciousness. Jambo stood guard over the boy when he was unconscious, placing himself between the boy and other gorillas in what ethnologists analyze as a protective gesture. He later stroked the unconscious boy. When the boy regained consciousness and started to cry, Jambo and the other gorillas retreated, and an ambulance paramedic and two keepers rescued the boy. Most of the drama was shot on home video by Brian Le Lion, and extensively photographed by other zoo visitors. The publicity on major news channels and newspapers helped the reputations of gorillas.

Red river hogs

In the past there were Red river hogs, which had been introduced to the zoo in August 2009, a transferral of two sows from Whipsnade. They had a brand new enclosure built by zoo volunteers, with a viewing platform in which to view them. The aim of the Trust was to highlight the issue of the illegal trade of bushmeat in Africa, which also affects other species such as gorillas. A breeding programme was started in 2011 with the arrival of the boar hog. However, there are no longer any hogs at the zoo.

Tamarins and marmosets

The tamarins are kept in two areas of the park, some such as the golden lion and emperor tamarins are best kept within their own enclosures. Meanwhile, others such as the black lion tamarin and the silvery marmoset are allowed to run free in a small wooded area which helps them thrive. *

Silvery marmoset The silvery marmoset (''Mico argentatus'') is a New World monkey that lives in the eastern Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. The fur of the silvery marmoset is colored whitish silver-grey except for a dark tail. Remarkable are its naked, flesh-color ...

Goeldi's monkey The Goeldi's marmoset or Goeldi's monkey (''Callimico goeldii'') is a small, South American New World monkey that lives in the upper Amazon basin region of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. It is the only species classified in the genus '' ...

Golden lion tamarin The golden lion tamarin (''Leontopithecus rosalia'', pt, mico-leão-dourado , ), also known as the golden marmoset, is a small New World monkey of the family Callitrichidae. Native to the Atlantic coastal forests of Brazil, the golden lion t ...

Golden-headed lion tamarin The golden-headed lion tamarin (''Leontopithecus chrysomelas''), also the golden-headed tamarin, is a lion tamarin endemic to Brazil. It is found only in the lowland and premontane tropical forest fragments in the state of Bahia, and therefore i ...

Emperor tamarin The emperor tamarin (''Saguinus imperator'') is a species of tamarin allegedly named for its resemblance to the German emperor Wilhelm II. It lives in the west Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas and the southwest Amazon Basin, in east Peru, ...

Black lion tamarin The black lion tamarin (''Leontopithecus chrysopygus''), also known as the golden-rumped lion tamarin, is a lion tamarin endemic to the Brazilian state of São Paulo, almost exclusively at the Morro do Diabo State Park. Its limited geographical ...

Pied tamarin The pied tamarin (''Saguinus bicolor''), sometimes referred to as the Brazilian bare-faced tamarin, is a Critically Endangered primate species found in a restricted area of the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest. It was named the mascot of Manaus, Bra ...

Central Valley

The Central Valley, expands across the centre of the park, creating a natural barrier and water resource for local species. A£1 million project to redevelop the central valley, completed in 2002, has created a haven for kingfishers, bank voles, butterflies, dragonflies, and several species of waterfowl. During the valley restoration two species of locally rare orchid were encouraged, and first flowered in 2005. They are '' Anacamptis laxiflora'' and

Dactylorhiza praetermissa ''Dactylorhiza praetermissa'', the southern marsh orchid or leopard marsh orchid, is a commonly occurring species of European orchid. Description ''Dactylorhiza praetermissa'' grows to tall, with leaves generally unspotted. The flowers, appe ...

. *

Oriental small-clawed otter The Asian small-clawed otter (''Aonyx cinereus''), also known as the oriental small-clawed otter and the small-clawed otter, is an otter species native to South and Southeast Asia. It has short claws that do not extend beyond the pads of its web ...

Red-breasted goose The red-breasted goose (''Branta ruficollis'') is a brightly marked species of goose in the genus ''Branta'' from Eurasia. It is currently classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. Taxonomy and etymology The red-breasted goose is sometimes placed ...

Chilean flamingo The Chilean flamingo (''Phoenicopterus chilensis'') is a species of large flamingo at closely related to the American flamingo and the greater flamingo, with which it was sometimes considered conspecific. The species is listed as near threatened ...

Grey crowned crane The grey crowned crane (''Balearica regulorum''), also known as the African crowned crane, golden crested crane, golden crowned crane, East African crane, East African crowned crane, African crane, Eastern crowned crane, Kavirondo crane, South ...

Swan goose The swan goose (''Anser cygnoides'') is a large goose with a natural breeding range in inland Mongolia, northernmost China, and the Russian Far East. It is migratory and winters mainly in central and eastern China. Vagrant birds are encounter ...

* White-naped crane *

Blue crane The blue crane (''Grus paradisea''), also known as the Stanley crane and the paradise crane, is the national bird of South Africa. The species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Description The blue crane is a tall, ground-dwelling bird, ...

Red-billed chough The red-billed chough, Cornish chough or simply chough ( ; ''Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax''), is a bird in the crow family, one of only two species in the genus '' Pyrrhocorax''. Its eight subspecies breed on mountains and coastal cliffs from the w ...

:The red-billed chough became extinct on Jersey in the nineteenth century, but they have once again returned. Durrell has joined a breeding programme and so a group are being kept at Durrell to form a captive colony, with hope to establish a free flying colony in the Trust's grounds.

Aviaries

Dotted around the Central Valley are a number of aviaries which house a selection of birds from different parts of the world. The aviaries are specialised to reflect habitat the birds should become adapted to should they be released back into the wild. They are large enough for them to fly short distances, or search the ground for food. *

Northern bald ibis The northern bald ibis, hermit ibis, or waldrapp (''Geronticus eremita'') is a migratory bird found in barren, semi-desert or rocky habitats, often close to running water. This glossy black ibis, which, unlike many members of the ibis family, i ...

Congo peafowl The Congo peafowl (''Afropavo congensis''), also known as the African peafowl or ''mbulu'' by the Bakôngo, is a species of peafowl native to the Congo Basin. It is one of three peafowl species and the only member of the subfamily Pavoninae nat ...

* Edward's pheasant *

Vietnamese pheasant The Vietnamese pheasant, or Vietnam fireback, was formerly considered a species of gallopheasant, ''Lophura hatinhensis'', but is now considered a variant of Edward's pheasant. Discovered in 1964, it is endemic to central Vietnam. Its range con ...

Red-crested turaco The red-crested turaco (''Tauraco erythrolophus'') is a turaco, a group of African Otidimorphae birds. It is a frugivorous bird endemic to western Angola. Its call sounds somewhat like a jungle monkey. Description The red-crested turaco weighs ...

* St. Lucia amazon *

Bali starling The Bali myna (''Leucopsar rothschildi''), also known as Rothschild's mynah, Bali starling, or Bali mynah, locally known as jalak Bali, is a medium-sized (up to long), stocky myna, almost wholly white with a long, drooping crest, and black tip ...

Pink pigeon The pink pigeon (''Nesoenas mayeri'') is a species of pigeon in the family Columbidae endemic to Mauritius. The pink pigeon nearly became extinct in the 1970s and the 1990s and is still very rare. It is the only Mascarene pigeon that has not beco ...

Echo parakeet The echo parakeet (''Psittacula eques'') is a species of parrot endemic to the Mascarene Islands of Mauritius and formerly Réunion. It is the only living native parrot of the Mascarene Islands; all others have become extinct due to human activit ...

Black bulbul The black bulbul (''Hypsipetes leucocephalus''), also known as the Himalayan black bulbul or Asian black bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found primarily in the Himalayas, its range stretching from India eastwar ...

* Montserrat oriole *

Wrinkled hornbill The wrinkled hornbill or Sunda wrinkled hornbill (''Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus'') is a medium-large hornbill which is found in forest in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. The wrinkled hornbill is around 70 cm long, and has a ve ...

White-crowned robin-chat The white-crowned robin-chat (''Cossypha albicapilla'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Ni ...

* Indonesian teal *

Tropical mockingbird The tropical mockingbird (''Mimus gilvus'') is a resident breeding bird from southern Mexico to northern and eastern South America and in the Lesser Antilles and other Caribbean islands. Taxonomy and systematics The tropical mockingbird has ...

Orangutans and gibbons

In an enclosure which was revamped in the 1990s the orang utans have a large outdoor play area for them to swing around. The enclosure consists of one large main house, with two extensive external islands surrounded by a moat. The orangutan family have been in Durrell since 1968, and come from Sumatra. Durrell used to have the Bornean orangutans, until it was decided that Durrell should focus on the rarest when the redevelopment took place. There are currently five orangutans at Durell; The dominant male is called Dagu. The adult females are, Annette and Dana. The two offspring are Mawar (who moved to Prague Zoo with her son Gempa in 2011)'s eldest son Jiwa and Annette's son Jantho. Sharing the island play areas is a female lar gibbon named Hazel. *

Sumatran orangutan The Sumatran orangutan (''Pongo abelii'') is one of the three species of orangutans. Critically Endangered, and found only in the north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, it is rarer than the Bornean orangutan but more common than the recentl ...

* Lar gibbon

Macaques

Since 1964 Durrell have been working with the macaque family, in the same location, just to the side of the valley. The family have bred well, though events in Sulawesi counterbalance the work in Durrell. *

Celebes crested macaque The Celebes crested macaque (''Macaca nigra''), also known as the crested black macaque, Sulawesi crested macaque, or the black ape, is an Old World monkey that lives in the Tangkoko reserve in the northeastern tip of the Indonesian island of Su ...

Teal Aviary

Madagascar teal Bernier's teal (''Anas bernieri''), also known as the Madagascar teal, is a species of duck in the genus ''Anas''. It is endemic to Madagascar, where it is found only along the west coast. Part of the "grey teal" complex found throughout Australa ...

Meller's duck Meller's duck (''Anas melleri'') is a species of the dabbling duck genus ''Anas''. It is endemic to eastern Madagascar. Although a population was established on Mauritius in the mid-18th century, this is on the verge of extinction due to hab ...

Marbled duck The marbled duck, or marbled teal (''Marmaronetta angustirostris'') is a medium-sized species of duck from southern Europe, northern Africa, and western and central Asia. The scientific name, ''Marmaronetta angustirostris'', comes from the Greek ...

Ferruginous duck The ferruginous duck (''Aythya nyroca''), also known as ferruginous pochard, common white-eye or white-eyed pochard, is a medium-sized diving duck from Eurosiberia. The scientific name is derived from Greek '' aithuia'' an unidentified seabir ...

Blue-billed teal The blue-billed teal, spotted teal or Hottentot teal (''Spatula hottentota'') is a species of dabbling duck of the genus ''Spatula''. It is migratory resident in eastern and southern Africa, from Sudan and Ethiopia west to Niger and Nigeria and ...

Lemurs

Durrell is the home to six species of lemur. Five species (excluding the red-fronted brown lemurs which are solely in Kirindy Forest) are dotted around the grounds and some form the vocal point of the Madagascan exhibit ''Kirindy Forest''. *

Ring-tailed lemur The ring-tailed lemur (''Lemur catta'') is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families, and is the only member of the ''Lemur'' ...

Black-and-white ruffed lemur The black-and-white ruffed lemur (''Varecia variegata'') is an endangered species of ruffed lemur, one of two which are endemic to the island of Madagascar. Despite having a larger range than the red ruffed lemur, it has a much smaller populati ...

Red ruffed lemur The red ruffed lemur (''Varecia rubra'') is one of two species in the genus ''Varecia'', the ruffed lemurs; the other is the black-and-white ruffed lemur (''Varecia variegata''). Like all lemurs, it is native to Madagascar. It occurs only in the ...

* Alaotran gentle lemur *

Aye-aye The aye-aye (''Daubentonia madagascariensis'') is a long-fingered lemur, a strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar with rodent-like teeth that perpetually grow and a special thin middle finger. It is the world's largest nocturnal primate. ...

* Red-fronted brown lemur

Bat tunnel

A large polytunnel was built with used tyres in spring 2011. It is the new home of two species of bat. An additional tunnel was completed in summer 2017. It was also built using recycled materials and will provide more room for the bats to fly, in particular creating a circular flying pattern. *

Rodrigues flying fox The Rodrigues flying fox or Rodrigues fruit bat (''Pteropus rodricensis'') is a species of bat in the family Pteropodidae, the flying foxes or fruit bats. It is endemic to Rodrigues, an island in the Indian Ocean belonging to Mauritius. Its nat ...

Kirindy Forest

A major renovation project was to transform the Walled Gardens into an area marked Kirindy Forest. Based on the dry forests of Madagascar, the area is designed to showcase the work being done with the native species. There are new homes for the aye-ayes, giant jumping rats and mongooses, and a new walkthrough aviary. *

* Red-fronted brown lemur *

Narrow-striped mongoose The narrow-striped mongoose or narrow-striped vontsira (''Mungotictis decemlineata'') is a member of the family Eupleridae endemic to Madagascar. It inhabits the western Madagascar succulent woodlands and northern Madagascar spiny thickets in we ...

Malagasy giant rat The Malagasy giant rat (''Hypogeomys antimena''), also known as the votsotsa or votsovotsa, is a nesomyid rodent found only in the Menabe region of Madagascar. It is an endangered species due to habitat loss, slow reproduction, and limited ran ...

Black-winged stilt The black-winged stilt (''Himantopus himantopus'') is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family ( Recurvirostridae). The scientific name ''H. himantopus'' is sometimes applied to a single, almost cosmopolitan sp ...

White-backed duck The white-backed duck (''Thalassornis leuconotus'') is a waterbird of the family Anatidae. It is distinct from all other ducks, but most closely related to the whistling ducks in the subfamily Dendrocygninae, though also showing some similaritie ...

* White-faced whistling duck *

African pygmy goose The African pygmy goose (''Nettapus auritus'') is a perching duck from sub-Saharan Africa. It is the smallest of Africa's waterfowl, and one of the smallest in the world. Though pygmy geese have beaks like those of geese, they are more relat ...

* Madagascar turtle dove * Madagascar crested ibis * Red fody * Hammerkop

Conservation successes

Proof that conservation does work, some species have returned home for continuation of programmes to reintroduce them to their own environment ;

Mauritius kestrel The Mauritius kestrel (''Falco punctatus'') is a bird of prey from the family Falconidae endemic to the forests of Mauritius, where it is restricted to the southwestern plateau's forests, cliffs, and ravines. It is the most distinct of the Indi ...

In 1976 there were only four individuals in the wild with one female. Durrell took the risk of taking a recent clutch of eggs and had them hatched successfully – rebuilding the species, almost from scratch. The conservation for the species has moved on to the next stage and its focus has returned to Mauritius, re-establishing the species in the community and

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...

. ;

Przewalski's horse Przewalski's horse (, , (Пржевальский ), ) (''Equus ferus przewalskii'' or ''Equus przewalskii''), also called the takhi, Mongolian wild horse or Dzungarian horse, is a rare and endangered horse originally native to the steppes of ...

With the newly established wild population of these species, originally extinct from the wild the zoo was part of the coalition of 'zoos' which together brought the species from the brink of extinction.

Work in Jersey

Helping the local species Durrell is working closely with local wildlife groups to help with the declining populations of Jersey's

sand lizard The sand lizard (''Lacerta agilis'') is a lacertid lizard distributed across most of Europe from France and across the continent to Lake Baikal in Russia. It does not occur in European Turkey. Its distribution is often patchy. In the sand lizard' ...

, the Jersey

crapaud Crapaud is a French word meaning "toad". Etymology The word ultimately is rooted from Frankish ''*krappō'', ''*krappa'', meaning "hook", likely in reference to the toad's hooked feet. Heraldry Crapaud is sometimes used as an incorrect referen ...

common toad The common toad, European toad, or in Anglophone parts of Europe, simply the toad (''Bufo bufo'', from Latin ''bufo'' "toad"), is a frog found throughout most of Europe (with the exception of Ireland, Iceland, and some Mediterranean islands), in ...

, and Jersey's

. ;Local rare and declining plant propagation The aim is maintain the genetic diversity of the locally rare plants. Currently four species are being grown in the propagation unit. ''

Fragaria vesca ''Fragaria vesca'', commonly called the wild strawberry, woodland strawberry, Alpine strawberry, Carpathian strawberry or European strawberry, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the rose family that grows naturally throughout much of the Northe ...

'' (wild strawberry), '' Dianthus gallicus'' (Jersey pink), '' Anogramma leptophylla'' (Jersey fern) and ''

Linaria vulgaris ''Linaria vulgaris'', the common toadflax,Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). ''Flora of Britain and Northern Europe''. yellow toadflax or butter-and-eggs, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae, native to Europe, Siberia ...

'' (common toadflax). Other plant species will be propagated as seed or cutting material becomes available. As some of these plant species are severely threatened, finding specimens for propagation will be a challenge. ;Bird reintroductions In 2010 Durrell undertook a project to reintroduce birds that once populated the island's clifftops, but have long disappeared. The

red-billed chough The red-billed chough, Cornish chough or simply chough ( ; ''Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax''), is a bird in the crow family, one of only two species in the genus '' Pyrrhocorax''. Its eight subspecies breed on mountains and coastal cliffs from the w ...

is the first focus of the programme, and they can now be found in the central valley area. There are also plans to do something similar with the

yellowhammer The yellowhammer (''Emberiza citrinella'') is a passerine bird in the bunting family that is native to Eurasia and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia. Most European birds remain in the breeding range year-round, but the eastern ...

should the project prove successful.

Durrell overseas

Pygmy hog The pygmy hog (''Porcula salvania'') is the rarest species of pig in the world today, and is the only species in the genus ''Porcula''. It is also the smallest species of pig in the world, with its piglets being small enough to fit in one's pock ...

:Although no longer located in Jersey, conservation is still monitored by Durrell in

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

, India and other locations. The species is still in dire need of funding and help. During 2008 some pygmy hogs were released into the wild in Assam, early reports show good progress with the species *

Blue iguana The blue iguana (''Cyclura lewisi''), also known as the Grand Cayman ground iguana, Grand Cayman blue iguana or Cayman Island rock iguana, is an endangered species of lizard which is endemic to the island of Grand Cayman. It was previously cons ...

:Hitting headlines recently is some success in

Grand Cayman Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the territory's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles (121 km) southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles (1 ...

with the blue iguana. Working alongside local authorities the iguana is being saved from extinction. It shows what can be done. In 2008 the project suffered a drawback when intruders broke into the complex and killed numerous iguanas, including juveniles and expecting females. * Madagascar pochard :Previously thought extinct, (found when looking for something else), Durrell have recently teamed up with Madagascar to help research and study the species. With scouts unable to locate more individuals, it has become a possibility that experts will have to bring the survivors back to Jersey, using expertise from the Madagascar teal and Meller's duck to help the duck get back from the brink. * Antiguan racer :In 1995 it was dubbed the world's rarest snake. More recently the species have been relocated back to

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

on some islands where they are free from predators and pests. *

Mauritius olive white-eye The Mauritius olive white-eye (''Zosterops chloronothos'', often mistakenly spelled ''Zosterops chloronothus''(2007) Rare Birds Yearbook 2008. England: MagDig Media Lmtd, 208. .) is a very rare and localized passerine from the family of white-e ...

White-footed tamarin The white-footed tamarin (''Saguinus leucopus'') is a tamarin species endemic to Colombia. It is a silvery brown colour with pale streaks and russet underparts, and is very similar in appearance to the cotton-top tamarin, from which it is separa ...

Ploughshare tortoise The angonoka tortoise (''Astrochelys yniphora'') is a critically endangered species of tortoise severely threatened by poaching for the illegal pet trade. It is endemic to Madagascar. It is also known as the angonoka, ploughshare tortoise, Madag ...

* Round Island day gecko *

Round Island boa The Round Island boa (''Casarea dussumieri''), also known commonly as the Round Island keel-scaled boa and the Round Island ground boa, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the monotypic genus ''Casarea'' in the family Bolyeriidae. The species i ...

Mangrove finch The mangrove finch (''Camarhynchus heliobates'') is a species of bird in the Darwin's finch group of the tanager family Thraupidae. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands. It was found on the islands of Fernandina and Isabela, but recent sur ...

Mauritius fody The Mauritius fody (''Foudia rubra'') is a rare species of bird in the weaver family. It is endemic to the island of Mauritius. It is classified by BirdLife International as being endangered. It is also on the United States' Endangered Species ...

* Giant hispaniolan galliwasp * Cuban solenodon *

Floreana mockingbird The Floreana mockingbird (''Mimus trifasciatus'') or the Charles Island mockingbird, is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It was endemic to Floreana, one of the Galápagos Islands, but now is found only on two nearby islets, Campeón an ...

Hispaniolan hutia The Hispaniolan hutia (''Plagiodontia aedium'') is a small, endangered, rat-like mammal endemic to forests on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (split between Haiti and the Dominican Republic). It lives in burrows or trees, and is active at nigh ...

Hispaniolan solenodon The Hispaniolan solenodon (''Solenodon paradoxus'') is a small, furry, shrew-like mammal endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (in the Dominican Republic and Haiti). Like other solenodons, it is a venomous, insect-eating animal that liv ...

* Mountain coati

Completed programmes

* Partula snails * Rhinoceros iguana 1974–2010 * African crested porcupine * White-headed marmoset *

Cuvier's dwarf caiman Cuvier's dwarf caiman (''Paleosuchus palpebrosus'') is a small crocodilia Crocodilia (or Crocodylia, both ) is an order of mostly large, predatory, semiaquatic reptiles, known as crocodilians. They first appeared 95 million years ago ...

Cottontop tamarin The cotton-top tamarin (''Saguinus oedipus'') is a small New World monkey weighing less than . This New World monkey can live up to 24 years, but most of them die by 13 years. One of the smallest primates, the cotton-top tamarin is easily reco ...

1972–2009 *

Parma wallaby The parma wallaby (''Notamacropus parma'') is a small, hopping, kangaroo-like mammal native to forests of southeastern Australia. About the size of a stout cat, it lives in dense shrub and is only active at night to feed on grasses and small plan ...

1959–2008 * Trinidad stream frog *

Green and black poison dart frog The green-and-black poison dart frog (''Dendrobates auratus''), also known as the green-and-black poison arrow frog and green poison frog (among others), is a brightly colored member of the order Anura native to Central America and northwestern ...

* Standing's day gecko *

Plumed basilisk The plumed basilisk (''Basiliscus plumifrons''), also called the green basilisk, double crested basilisk, or Jesus Christ lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Corytophanidae. The species is native to Central America. The plumed basilisk ...

Snow leopard The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''), also known as the ounce, is a felid in the genus '' Panthera'' native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the global population is es ...

Cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...

Babirusa The babirusas, also called deer-pigs ( id, babi rusa), are a genus, ''Babyrousa'', in the swine family found in the Indonesian islands of Sulawesi, Togian, Sula and Buru. All members of this genus were considered part of a single species un ...

Snowy owl The snowy owl (''Bubo scandiacus''), also known as the polar owl, the white owl and the Arctic owl, is a large, white owl of the true owl family. Snowy owls are native to the Arctic regions of both North America and the Palearctic, breeding m ...

* White-eared pheasant *

Bornean orangutan The Bornean orangutan (''Pongo pygmaeus'') is a species of orangutan endemic to the island of Borneo. Together with the Sumatran orangutan (''Pongo abelii'') and Tapanuli orangutan (''Pongo tapanuliensis''), it belongs to the only genus of great ...

Serval The serval (''Leptailurus serval'') is a wild cat native to Africa. It is widespread in sub-Saharan countries, except rainforest regions. Across its range, it occurs in protected areas, and hunting it is either prohibited or regulated in ran ...

Volcano rabbit The volcano rabbit (''Romerolagus diazi''), also known as teporingo or zacatuche, is a small rabbit that resides in the mountains of Mexico.Hoth, J., A. Velázquez F. Romero, L. León, M. Aranda and D. Bell, 1987. The Volcano Rabbit- a Shrinking ...

Chimpanzee The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative t ...

African lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adu ...

Brazilian tapir The South American tapir (''Tapirus terrestris''), also commonly called the Brazilian tapir (from the Tupi ''tapi'ira''), the Amazonian tapir, the maned tapir, the lowland tapir, the ''anta'' ( Portuguese), and ''la sachavaca'' (literally "bushc ...

Leopards The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus ''Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...

Peccaries A peccary (also javelina or skunk pig) is a medium-sized, pig-like hoofed mammal of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America, Trinidad in the Caribbean, and in the southwestern area of North ...

Macaws Macaws are a group of New World parrots that are long-tailed and often colorful. They are popular in aviculture or as companion parrots, although there are conservation concerns about several species in the wild. Biology Of the many differe ...

* Porcupines *

Humboldt penguin The Humboldt penguin (''Spheniscus humboldti'') is a medium-sized penguin. It resides in South America, its range mainly contains most of coastal Peru. Its nearest relatives are the African penguin, the Magellanic penguin and the Galápagos pen ...

* African elephant

Durrell Wildlife Camp

Work began on the Durrell Wildlife CampDurrell Wildlife Camp
/ref> in early 2012, which will allow the park to sell lodging and services to visitors. A wooded copse to the west of Les Augrès Manor has been landscaped to provide a nine-metre-square level wooden deck roughly every seven metres. These decks will house twelve

geodesic dome A geodesic dome is a hemispherical thin-shell structure (lattice-shell) based on a geodesic polyhedron. The triangular elements of the dome are structurally rigid and distribute the structural stress throughout the structure, making geodesic do ...

-shaped, semi permanent

tent A tent () is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using ...

structures and a separate shower and toilet cubicle for each. A further two platforms will house a communal structure and a pod for health and beauty treatments. Durrell Wildlife Camp is described as a 'glamorous camping' resort. The site has

WiFi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wa ...

coverage, and each pod has a hard-wired electrical feed for running AC 240 V appliances.

References

External links

* {{authority control Zoos in Jersey Trinity, Jersey Zoos established in 1959