Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
See articles about the The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
- Durrell reintroduces world’s rarest tortoise to Madagascar wilds
- Case studies - Students of Durrell ITC driving conservation around the world
- Durrell’s pied tamarin work honoured
- Critically Endangered Ploughshare tortoises rescued from smugglers
- Orange-tailed skink rescued from extinction
- Baby tamarin born by C-section in Jersey
- Madagascar Pochard - The world's rarest ducklings hatched in captive breeding programme
- Critically endangered mountain chicken breeds in captivity
- Mountain chicken frogs flown to Europe to avoid killer fungus
- Venomous mammal, the Hispaniola solendon, and Hispaniola hutia targets of new study.
- Critically endangered "Mountain chicken" frog last haven invaded by deadly Chytrid fungus
- Critically endangered Seychelles magpie-robin relocation brings hope for the species survival
- Echo parakeet off the critical list thanks to conservation effort.
- Cayman blue iguana population doubles.
- Montserrat biodiversity assessment.
- Cayman blue iguanas breeding in the wild.
- Cayman blue iguanas breeding success.
- Montserrat eruption threatens endangered Montserrat oriole.
- Ploughshare tortoise reintroduction to Madagascar.
- Pygmy hog captive breeding and re-introduction in India.
- Spiny turtles hatch in captivity for just 4th time.
- St Lucia Whiptail lizards to be re-introduced to 2 islands.
The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust was founded by author and naturalist Gerald Durrell over 40 years ago with the mission to save species from extinction and it has a proven track record of doing just that. Species that have been pulled back from the brink include the Mauritius kestrel, pink pigeon, echo parakeet and Mallorcan midwife toad, and our dedicated conservationists are hard at work in threatened habitats around the world continuing the battle to protect and conserve many more.
With its international headquarters in Jersey, the Trust has built up a worldwide reputation for its pioneering conservation techniques developed under the leadership of the late Gerald Durrell. Today, Durrell is continuing to develop its overseas work in new areas of the world, with a particular focus on vulnerable communities of endemic animals which make such a valuable contribution to global biodiversity.
‘When asked, as I frequently am, why I should concern myself so deeply with the conservation of animal life, I reply that I have been very lucky and that throughout my life the world has given me the most enormous pleasure. But the world is as delicate and as complicated as a spider's web. If you touch one thread you send shudders running through all the other threads. We are not just touching the web, we are tearing great holes in it.’ Gerald Durrell 1925-1995.
How to visit The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
Visit the Durrell website
10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT DURRELL
- Durrell is one of the very few wildlife parks in Great Britain and even Europe, with their own laboratory.Durrell not only saves animals from extinction but plants too.
- Durrell is one of the top three wildlife parks on the planet to grow the best variety of organic food crops for their animals.
- Durrell is a charity and spends up to half of its income on conservation.
- Durrell has more than 40 projects in 17 countries for 48 animal species
- Two Durrell staff, Dr Carl Jones and Jeremy Mallinson, were recognized in the Queens's Birthday Honours and awarded OBEs.
- The first person to receive training at Durrell came to the Trust in 1977 and went on to become the head of the National Parks Department in Mauritius. - Case studies - Students of Durrell ITC driving conservation around the world
- For four of 16 bird species regarded as being saved from extinction between 1994 and 2004 Durrell was recognised as a key partner.
- Since its opening in 1959, over 13,000 animals have been born at Durrell.
- Gerald Durrell's ashes are buried in the ground of the Wildlife park under a memorial plaque with a quote from William Beebe, 1906, which reads: "The beauty and genius of a work of art may be reconceived, though its first material expression be destroyed; a vanished harmony may yet again inspire the composer; but when the last individual of a race of living beings breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again."
SELECTED DURRELL SUCCESSES
- In Jersey, Durrell's major breeding firsts include: aye-ayes, Alaotran gentle lemurs, giant jumping rats, Rodrigues fruit bat, Livingstone's fruit bat, Montserrat oriole, Madagascar teal, St. Lucia amazon parrot, Rodrigues fody, Lesser Antilles iguana, Madagascan flat-tailed tortoise, Round Island boa, Montserrat mountain chicken frog, Round Island skink, Round Island gecko.
- Durrell's captive golden lion tamarins were the first of the re-introduced animals to breed in the wild.
- Durrell was also the first European institution to breed Mauritius kestrel, pink pigeon, Utila Island iguana, spiny terrapins and Asian flower back terrapins.
- Captive breeding firsts in the species' country of origin include the echo parakeet, and Rodrigues fody in Mauritius, the pygmy hog in India, ploughshare tortoise, side-necked turtle and flat-tailed tortoise in Madagascar.
In India, Durrell's long-term captive breeding programme, communication education and scientific study has led to the first ever re-introduction of the pygmy hog back into its native habitat.- In Spain, Durrell supported the first successful reintroduction into the wild of the Majorcan midwife toad.
- In Mauritius, through captive breeding, study and reintroduction, the Trust has rescued the kestrel, pink pigeon, echo parakeet, and Rodrigues fody, which were all close to extinction with only a few pairs of each remaining.
- Durrell was responsible for the restoration of Round Island ecosystem, including the removal of invasive animal species and propagation and replanting of native plants.
- Durrell established the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation to support conservation work on Mauritius. This is now the largest environmental NGO on the island and has taken on the conservation of the island's threatened bird, plant and reptile species.
- Durrell's long-term commitment to the conservation of the St. Lucia amazon parrot in St. Lucia led to the restoration of this species from below 100 pairs to a current population of approximately 1000 pairs.
- Durrell was instrumental in the adoption of the Ramsar Convention in Madagascar and led the designation of Lac Alaotra as a wetland of international significance.
- Durrell's in-situ conservation activities have directly led to the creation of national parks and protected areas in Montserrat, Madagascar and Mauritius.