Home › #Photography › DURRELL’S MISSION IS IN JEOPARDY – SAVE THE WILD, SAVE THE ZOO!

DURRELL’S MISSION IS IN JEOPARDY – SAVE THE WILD, SAVE THE ZOO!

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I don’t usually publish donation ads, but this particular one is near and dear to my heart. I read Gerald Durrell’s books when I was a kid and continued reading them into adulthood. From him I learned about saving rare and nearly extinct species. His stories helped me become increasingly involved in wildlife. I owe a lot to Gerald and his whole family.

They made a mini-series about him and his family (his brother was Lawrence Durrell) and their life on the isle of Corsica. I think it was made by the BBC and it has been shown on Acorn and and PBS.

I have always tried to send them any bit of money I could dig up and today, I figured somehow I could swing $25. I hope that many people will help them. Without tourism, they have no means of support. The lives of many rare animals depends Durrell’s Zoo, one of the places I always wanted to visit.

Durrell Zoo on Jersey

From all at Durrell’s HQ in Jersey, we hope that this email finds all our friends in America staying safe and well during these times of global upheaval.

These have been very unsettling times, and despite our hardest efforts, the present pandemic is having a devastating effect on the income of Durrell, and we need your help.

Our global conservation work, and 61-year history of saving species and habitats from the brink of extinction, is in real danger due to the impact of the pandemic on Jersey Zoo.

Jersey Zoo is the heartbeat of Durrell. All of the Trust’s global conservation work is underpinned by the zoo.

Despite having reopened the gates to our zoo on the 12th May, we are still facing an 80% reduction in income, given our unique position of being dependent on travel and tourism.

We are facing the impact of at least 18 months without tourists visiting Jersey. It is always challenging to run a zoo on an island with a catchment of just over 100,000 people. With no tourists able to visit, and islanders that are still fearful of COVID-19 and venturing out, the challenge is proving too much at the moment.

This situation is having a devastating effect on the income of our charity. A large portion of our income is raised through Jersey Zoo, so quite simply, if the zoo fails, the whole of Durrell fails.

Given our shared passion for Durrell and the environment, I know you wouldn’t want this to happen. But the future is looking bleak, so I need to ask for your help now, more than ever before.
VISIT THE WEBSITE! THERE IS SO MUCH TO SEE.

We have been so moved by supporters asking how they can help us at this uncertain time, that we have launched a campaign called Love Your Zoo, where those who are able to can help us by donating and contributing to the care of our animals.

It costs us $5,200 per day to care for the 1,285 animals at Jersey Zoo, so gifts of any size really do mean so much. If you can, are you able to share your love of Durrell and make a donation today?

DONATE NOW

 For our supporters in America, donations can be made through American Friends of Durrell, which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, established in 2014 to facilitate contributions to Durrell.

I am sorry not to be writing with better news, but I am hoping that together we can prevent the worst scenario from happening, and ensure the future for Durrell.

Best wishes,

Lee Durrell
President
American Friends of Durrell
Source: Durrell’s mission is in jeopardy

 

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Categories: #Photography, climate, climate change, Earth, Ecology, Wildlife

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9 replies

  1. Taswegian1957
    06/16/2020 • 11:12

    I read a lot of his books, the animal ones and the ones about his family. Although Jersey is a great place for the zoo it does make it very hard for them. I’ll see what I can do.

    Like

  2. Becky Ross Michael
    06/12/2020 • 14:49

    Thank you for giving us this information, Marilyn! I enjoyed getting to know the Durrells on the PBS series, and then I read Gerald’s first book about his family. All so charming.

    Like

  3. swo8
    06/12/2020 • 10:56

    There was a series about the Durrell family not so long ago. It was written by Gerald and it was about their life on Corfu.
    Leslie

    Like

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      06/12/2020 • 14:09

      I remember when the book came out. I was young, in my late teens or early 20s and it was a favorite book of mine. There was a sequel that I don’t remember as well, but I read the first part multiple times. We’ve also watched the TV shows.

      Liked by 1 person