Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
Encyclopedia
Habitat conservation
Habitat conservation is a land management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range...
organisation with a mission to save species from extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
.
Gerald Durrell
Gerald Durrell
Gerald "Gerry" Malcolm Durrell, OBE was a naturalist, zookeeper, conservationist, author and television presenter...
founded the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust as a charitable institution
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
in 1963 with the Dodo
Dodo
The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Related to pigeons and doves, it stood about a meter tall, weighing about , living on fruit, and nesting on the ground....
as its symbol. The trust was renamed in its founder's honour on 26 March 1999.
Its headquarters are at Les Augrès Manor
Les Augrès Manor
Les Augrès Manor is a 16th century manor house in the parish of Trinity in Jersey, on the road La Profonde Rue.The grounds of the manor has been home to the Jersey Zoo since 1958, and the manor house itself home to the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust since 1963...
in Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
where the Jersey Zoological Park
Jersey Zoological Park
Jersey Zoological Park or Jersey Zoo is a zoological park established in 1959 on the island of Jersey in the English Channel by naturalist and author Gerald Durrell . It is now officially called Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust after its founder, or Durrell for short...
was established by Gerald Durrell in 1959 as a sanctuary and breeding centre for endangered species.
Gerald Durrell
Gerald Durrell OBEOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, author and broadcaster on wildlife conservation, was the founder of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. He wrote 37 books which have been translated into 31 languages. He also featured in several other television series and one-off programmes, which documented his work in Jersey and around the world.
In 1945 he became a student keeper at the Zoological Society of London
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats...
's Whipsnade Park. At 21 he inherited £3,000 and he financed, organised and led the first of several animal collecting expeditions. It was on these expeditions that he first became aware of the desperate struggle for survival many animal species were facing in the wild, and he became convinced that zoos had a responsibility to try to prevent further decline and extinctions.
Despite strong resistance to his ideas from much of the zoological community as few people recognised the alarming rate at which animals were vanishing in their native habitats, in 1959 he succeeded in creating his own Zoo in Jersey, dedicating it to saving endangered animals from extinction.
Gerald Durrell died aged 70, in January 1995. His wife Lee McGeorge Durrell
Lee McGeorge Durrell
Lee McGeorge Durrell MBE is a naturalist, author, zookeeper and television presenter, best known for her work at the Jersey Zoological Park in the British Channel Island of Jersey with her late husband Gerald Durrell, and for co-authoring books with him.-Brief biography:Lee was born in Memphis,...
succeeded him as Honorary Director of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and maintains an intense involvement in the Trust’s work both in Jersey and overseas.
Jersey
Durrell provides intensive hands-on management of endangered species at its Jersey headquarters and through 50 conservation programmes in 18 countries worldwide.Durrell’s headquarters in Jersey is a safe-haven for endangered animals which need to be rescued from whatever is threatening their survival in their native home. Here they breed and recover in numbers while keeper-conservationists observe and study them to learn more about what they will need to thrive in the wild again.
The Trust’s headquarters is also a ‘window’ to the work of Durrell Wildlife around the world - where visitors can enjoy the opportunity to see some of the planet’s most endangered species and learn how the Trust is working to save them. What keeper-conservationists learn about a species while it is living in Jersey can help to save its cousins struggling for survival in the wild. Some species, such as gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
s and orangutan
Orangutan
Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
s, are well known while other species, such as the Livingstone's Fruit Bat
Livingstone's Fruit Bat
Livingstone's Fruit Bat Livingstone's Fruit Bat Livingstone's Fruit Bat (or Livingstone's Flying Fox; (Pteropus livingstonii) is a megabat in the genus Pteropus. It is found only on two islands in the Comoros. It is the largest bat of all Comorian species. Its preferred habitat is montane forest,...
, the Pied Tamarin
Pied Tamarin
The pied tamarin is an endangered primate species found in a restricted area in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest.- Range :...
, the Giant Jumping Rat, the Madagascar Teal (Bernier's Teal
Bernier's Teal
Bernier's Teal Anas bernieri is a duck species of the genus Anas. It is endemic to Madagascar, where it is found only along the west coast....
), the Echo Parakeet (Mauritius Parakeet
Mauritius Parakeet
The Mauritius Parakeet , also known as Echo Parakeet, is the sole survivor of the Psittacula species which inhabited the southern Indian ocean islands near Madagascar. Its local name is katover.-Taxonomy:...
), the Mountain Chicken (actually a giant frog), and Round Island Boa, are more obscure.
Other endangered animals include the Aye-Aye
Aye-aye
The aye-aye is a lemur, a strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar that combines rodent-like teeth and a special thin middle finger to fill the same ecological niche as a woodpecker...
, Alaotran Gentle Lemur, free-ranging Black Lion Tamarin
Black Lion Tamarin
The black lion tamarin 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. The lion tamarins are of the rarest of the New world monkeys and for this reason, so little is none about them...
, Pied Tamarin
Pied Tamarin
The pied tamarin is an endangered primate species found in a restricted area in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest.- Range :...
and Silvery Marmoset
Silvery Marmoset
The silvery marmoset is a New World monkey that lives in Brazil, south and east of the Amazon basin. Compared to other marmosets, they have a very isolated habitat....
, Andean Bear, Maned Wolf
Maned Wolf
The maned wolf is the largest canid of South America, resembling a large fox with reddish fur.This mammal is found in open and semi-open habitats, especially grasslands with scattered bushes and trees, in south, central-west and south-eastern Brazil The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is the...
, Narrow Striped Mongoose, Mauritius Pink Pigeon
Pink Pigeon
The Pink Pigeon, Columba mayeri, is a species of Columbidae endemic to Mauritius, and is now very rare. It was on the brink of extinction in 1991 when only 10 individuals remained, but its numbers have increased due to the efforts of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust since 1977...
, Mauritius Kestrel, St Lucia Parrot, Bali Starling
Bali Starling
The Bali Starling , also known as Rothschild’s Mynah, Bali Myna, or Bali Mynah, locally known as Jalak Bali, is a medium-sized , stocky myna, almost wholly white with a long, drooping crest, and black tips on the wings and tail. The bird has blue bare skin around the eyes, greyish legs and a yellow...
, Meller's Duck
Meller's Duck
Meller's Duck 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 habitat loss and competition by feral domestic ducks...
, Madagascar Teal (Bernier's Teal
Bernier's Teal
Bernier's Teal Anas bernieri is a duck species of the genus Anas. It is endemic to Madagascar, where it is found only along the west coast....
), Round Island Boa, Lesser Antillean Iguana
Lesser Antillean Iguana
The Lesser Antillean Iguana is a large arboreal lizard endemic to the Lesser Antilles. It is one of two species of lizard of the genus Iguana and is in severe decline due to habitat destruction, feral predators, hunting, and hybridization with its sister species the Green iguana...
and Mallorcan midwife toad
Mallorcan midwife toad
The Majorcan Midwife Toad is an Amphibian of the order Anura and in the family Discoglossidae. It is exclusively endemic to the Balearic Island of Majorca in the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Overseas activities
Durrell works with local governments, communities and other conservation organisations in countries across the globe to save animals and their environments.The Trust began working in Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
during the 1970s. In 1998 it announced that the Mauritius kestrel – a species once reduced to only four birds - had been saved from extinction. Durrell is also working to save critically endangered species such as the Pink Pigeon
Pink Pigeon
The Pink Pigeon, Columba mayeri, is a species of Columbidae endemic to Mauritius, and is now very rare. It was on the brink of extinction in 1991 when only 10 individuals remained, but its numbers have increased due to the efforts of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust since 1977...
, Echo Parakeet, Round Island Boa (Casarea dussumieri
Casarea
The Round Island Boa , also known as the Round Island Keel-scaled Boa, is a snake in the Bolyeriidae family, in the monotypic genus Casarea. It is also the only extant member of the family Bolyeriidae, and is endemic to Round Island, Mauritius...
) and Mauritius Fody
Mauritius Fody
The Mauritius Fody 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 List with an endangered status.This bird is 14 centimeters long...
. It has also helped in the restoration of Round Island
Round Island (Mauritius)
Round Island is an uninhabited islet 22.5 kilometers north of Mauritius. It has an area of 1.69 square kilometers and a maximum elevation of 280 meters...
– a small island about 12 miles north east of Mauritius.
The Trust is managing several projects on the island of Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, where it first became involved during the 1980s. Madagascar, like Mauritius, is home to many animals found nowhere else in the world.
Project Angonoka is one of the successful breeding programmes that has seen the rarest tortoise in the world, the Angonoka
Angonoka
The angonoka tortoise is a critically endangered species of tortoise endemic to Madagascar. It is also known as the angonoka, ploughshare tortoise, Madagascar tortoise, or Madagascar angulated tortoise....
, brought back from the brink of extinction. One of the rarest ducks in the world, the Madagascar Teal, is now breeding successfully at the Trust’s headquarters in Jersey, and the Alaotran Gentle Lemur is starting to make a recovery, now that hunting and burning of its habitat have been dramatically reduced thanks to an education programme targeted at local villages and schools.
In the Menabe
Menabe
Menabe is a region in western Madagascar. It is named for the 18th century Sakalava kingdom of Menabe. The capital is Morondava.-History:Menabe is the southern part of the Sakalava territory. Tradition holds that it was founded by Adriamandazoala . Its territory was increased under the legendary...
region of Madagascar, a biodiversity hotspot of great importance, the Trust is working with a cluster of endangered species, including the Malagasy Giant Rat
Malagasy Giant Rat
The Malagasy Giant Rat , also known as the Votsovotsa, is a nesomyid rodent found only in the Menabe region of Madagascar...
, Flat-tailed Tortoise, Madagascar Big-headed Turtle, Narrow-striped Mongoose
Narrow-striped Mongoose
The Narrow-striped Mongoose , also locally called boky-boky in Malagasy, is a member of the family Eupleridae, subfamily Galidiinae. It inhabits the dry deciduous forests of western and southwestern Madagascar...
and Madagascar Teal.
In Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
the Trust has played a major role in saving endangered Lion Tamarin
Lion tamarin
The four species of lion tamarins make up the genus Leontopithecus. They are small New World monkeys named for the mane surrounding their face. Living in the eastern rainforests of Brazil, like all other callitrichids they are arboreal. Lion tamarins weigh up to 900 grams and are about...
, not only breeding them in captivity and reintroducing them into the wild, but with the purchase of a corridor of land to link two halves of a reserve where this species lives. The Trust is currently running an aluminium can recycling project in conjunction with local primary schools. The scheme is raising funds to purchase and plant trees in Brazil to create ‘tree corridors’, to link up fragmented areas of the tamarins’ habitat and allow isolated groups to reach each other and breed.
In India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
the critically endangered Pygmy Hog
Pygmy Hog
Pygmy hog is an endangered species of small wild pig, previously spread across India, Nepal, and Bhutan but now only found in Assam. The current world population is about 150 individuals or fewer...
is successfully breeding in a centre designed and built by the Trust.
The Trust has also provided a safety net for two species living on the Caribbean island of Montserrat
Montserrat
Montserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. This island measures approximately long and wide, giving of coastline...
where a volcano erupted in 1995. The country's national bird, the Montserrat Oriole
Montserrat Oriole
The Montserrat Oriole, Icterus oberi, is a medium-sized black-and-yellow icterid ....
(Icterus oberi), and the Giant Ditch Frog (Leptodactylus fallax
Leptodactylus fallax
Leptodactylus fallax, commonly known as the Giant Ditch Frog, is a species of frog that is native to the Caribbean islands of Dominica and Montserrat. The population has declined 80% in the last ten years and this species is now critically endangered. In 2004 it was estimated that the population...
), are now living and breeding successfully in Jersey.
Durrell's overseas projects in other Caribbean islands include the Lesser Antillean Iguana
Lesser Antillean Iguana
The Lesser Antillean Iguana is a large arboreal lizard endemic to the Lesser Antilles. It is one of two species of lizard of the genus Iguana and is in severe decline due to habitat destruction, feral predators, hunting, and hybridization with its sister species the Green iguana...
(Iguana delicatissima) on Anguilla
Anguilla
Anguilla is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin...
, the Antiguan Racer (Alsophis antiguae) on Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
, the St Lucia Iguana (Iguana iguana
Green Iguana
The Green Iguana or Common Iguana is a large, arboreal herbivorous species of lizard of the genus Iguana native to Central and South America...
), the St Lucia Parrot ("Amazona versicolor") and St Lucia Whiptail
St Lucia Whiptail
The St Lucia Whiptail or Vanzo's Whiptail is a species of lizard in the Teiidae family. It is endemic to Saint Lucia, where it has been extirpated from the main island and is now only native to the small islets of Maria Major and Maria Minor, with fewer than 1000 individuals estimated...
(Cnemidophorus vanzoi) on Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
, the Blue Iguana
Blue Iguana
The Blue Iguana or Grand Cayman Iguana is a critically endangered species of lizard of the genus Cyclura endemic to the island of Grand Cayman. Previously listed as a subspecies of the Cuban Iguana, it was reclassified as a separate species in 2004 because of genetic differences discovered four...
(Cyclura lewisi) on Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the nation's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles southwest of Cayman Brac.-Geography:Grand Cayman encompasses 76% of...
, and the Cuban Solenodon
Cuban Solenodon
The Cuban Solenodon or Almiqui , is a species of soricomorph that is endemic to Cuba. It belongs to the family Solenodontidae along with a similar species, the Hispaniolan Solenodon...
(Solenodon cubanus) on Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
Elsewhere in the world the Trust is working to save the Mallorcan midwife toad
Mallorcan midwife toad
The Majorcan Midwife Toad is an Amphibian of the order Anura and in the family Discoglossidae. It is exclusively endemic to the Balearic Island of Majorca in the Mediterranean Sea...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, the Western Lowland Gorilla
Western Lowland Gorilla
The western lowland gorilla is a subspecies of the western gorilla that lives in montane, primary, and secondary forests and lowland swamps in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It is the gorilla usually found in zoos...
in Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, the Sumatran Orangutan
Sumatran Orangutan
The Sumatran orangutan is one of the two species of orangutans. Found only on the island of Sumatra, in Indonesia, it is rarer and smaller than the Bornean orangutan. The Sumatran orangutan grows to about tall and in males...
in Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, and Livingstone's Fruit Bat
Livingstone's Fruit Bat
Livingstone's Fruit Bat Livingstone's Fruit Bat Livingstone's Fruit Bat (or Livingstone's Flying Fox; (Pteropus livingstonii) is a megabat in the genus Pteropus. It is found only on two islands in the Comoros. It is the largest bat of all Comorian species. Its preferred habitat is montane forest,...
(Pteropus livingstonii) in the Comoros Islands.
Conservation set-backs
The Trust has endangered the Mallorcan midwife toadMallorcan midwife toad
The Majorcan Midwife Toad is an Amphibian of the order Anura and in the family Discoglossidae. It is exclusively endemic to the Balearic Island of Majorca in the Mediterranean Sea...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
by introducing the pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a chytrid fungus that causes the disease chytridiomycosis. In the decade after it was first discovered in amphibians in 1998, the disease devastated amphibian populations around the world, in a global decline towards multiple extinctions, part of the Holocene...
. The pathogen causes chytridiomycosis
Chytridiomycosis
Chytridiomycosis is an infectious disease of amphibians, caused by the chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a non-hyphal zoosporic fungus. Chytridiomycosis has been linked to dramatic population declines or even extinctions of amphibian species in western North America, Central America, South...
, which is now recognised as a principal driver of the mass extinction crisis in amphibians. The Trust's breeding facility in Jersey, that had been used for re-introduction of the species to its native habitat, has been identified as the source of chytridiomycosis
Chytridiomycosis
Chytridiomycosis is an infectious disease of amphibians, caused by the chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a non-hyphal zoosporic fungus. Chytridiomycosis has been linked to dramatic population declines or even extinctions of amphibian species in western North America, Central America, South...
which affects the Mallorcan midwife toad
Mallorcan midwife toad
The Majorcan Midwife Toad is an Amphibian of the order Anura and in the family Discoglossidae. It is exclusively endemic to the Balearic Island of Majorca in the Mediterranean Sea...
. It is the first case, where it could be shown that the anthropogenic movement of amphibians is spreading the fatal disease.
Islands and highlands
In November 2003, in response to the ever-increasing threats to global biodiversityBiodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
, the Trust unveiled plans for a re-focusing of its overseas activities. Two years of painstaking research have resulted in a global map which highlights where Durrell’s scientists believe the world’s ‘conservation priority areas’ are located. These areas, which tend to be located in island and highland regions, harbour unusually high concentrations of ‘endemic’ species – rare species that are found in these areas and nowhere else.
Whilst the new maps include many of the areas where the Trust is currently working, it also reveals several significant new areas, where the Trust has had no previous involvement. By using the new maps to guide the future development and expansion of its overseas conservation work, Durrell can be confident it is using its limited resources to the maximum benefit of the world’s precious biodiversity.
International training centre
In 1978 Gerald Durrell created what he called 'a mini-university' at Les Noyers, adjacent to Les Augrès Manor, to provide intensive training to conservation workers, so that they could begin the process of saving species in their country of origin. Today Durrell is internationally acclaimed for its contribution to the professional training of zoologists and conservation biologists, particularly those from the developing countries of the world. Over 1,200 students from more than 105 countries have now successfully graduated from the International Training Centre, to create a global network of “New Noahs” dedicated to supporting the mission of the Trust. These graduates have gone on to train their colleagues at home, who in turn have trained the people they work with. This has created a highly effective network of good conservationists where they are most needed around the world.Animal health
The good health of the animals in Jersey and at the Trust’s captive breedingCaptive breeding
Captive breedingis the process of breeding animals in human controlled environments with restricted settings, such as wildlife reserves, zoos and other conservation facilities; sometimes the process is construed to include release of individual organisms to the wild, when there is sufficient...
centres overseas ensures breeding success, and the staff endeavour to ensure that diseases, parasites and injuries are prevented through excellent day-to-day care. The Trust’s Veterinary Centre, which opened in the grounds of the Trust in 1978, regularly monitors the health of all the animals in Jersey and overseas, and new arrivals from the wild or other zoos are kept in quarantine and isolation to safeguard the health of the resident animals.
If an animal is sick, the Trust's on-site biologist examines samples of faeces, blood and urine for vital clues to diagnose the illness. If an animal dies, a post-mortem is carried out to establish the cause of death and also to increase the Trust's scientific knowledge and understanding of very rare species. Samples taken by specially trained staff are also sent in from the Trust’s in-situ breeding programmes, and a diagnosis and instructions for treatment from the vet are sent back by return. The Trust’s vet and veterinary biologist have both made visits to the captive breeding centre in Ampijoroa, Madagascar, where they spent time screening the captive populations of endangered tortoises and turtles, and training staff in effective sample taking and post-mortem techniques. Blood and tissue samples are preserved for posterity to ensure that the Trust has references for future research purposes. The veterinary hospital includes a consulting room, operating theatre and recovery area. It also has X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
, ultrasound
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is thus not separated from "normal" sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is...
and endoscopic
Endoscopy
Endoscopy means looking inside and typically refers to looking inside the body for medical reasons using an endoscope , an instrument used to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike most other medical imaging devices, endoscopes are inserted directly into the organ...
examination facilities.
Major operations on the great apes are undertaken by a team of vets and doctors and consultants from Jersey's General Hospital. It is not unusual to find hospital anaesthetists, radiologists, obstetricians and paediatricians assisting the veterinary team.
The Trust's animal registrar maintains records of births, deaths and exchanges between zoos of animals worldwide. The registrar receives daily reports on the breeding, behaviour, nutrition and health of the animals which are then recorded in a computer software programme called ARKS (Animal Records Keeping System). Over 600 zoos worldwide use ARKS and each institution submits its data to a central organisation, ISIS (International Species Information Systems), to create a global database which is shared by all participating zoos.
In addition to general animal records, medical notes are maintained on all the animals in the collection in the same way that doctors keep notes on their patients. This information is stored in MedARKS, which is an adaptation of the ARKS database and can also be accessed by other zoos around the world. With regard to using the MedARKS system, Durrell Wildlife has been at the forefront of zoos in the British Isles, working closely with the American vets who designed it and running courses on the island to train other zoo practitioners to use it.
The accuracy of the ARKS and MedARKS systems relies on animals being correctly identified. While it may be easy to identify the male gorilla Ya Kwanza within his family, identifying individual pink pigeons or poison arrow frogs is more difficult. An ID transponder
Transponder
In telecommunication, the term transponder has the following meanings:...
or microchip, the size of a grain of rice, is placed under the skin by injection. It emits a ten digit alpha numeric code which is recognised by a scanning device. This also enables the Trust's Research Department to identify animals during studies. Most research involves the observation of animals, without disturbing them, and includes studies on general behaviour, on feeding and on parental care of offspring either in the Trust grounds or overseas.
The Trust's aim is to understand every aspect of the lives of the animals at the Trust to ensure their successful management in captivity and enhance their survival in the wild.
Organic farm
The Trust established its own organic farmOrganic farming
Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...
before any establishment of its kind in the UK. The Durrell Organic Farm was created in 1976 to provide the animal collection with non-chemically treated foods such as sunflowers and maize. It provides 70% of the animals’ fruit, vegetable and forage needs over the year – produce which would otherwise cost the Trust well in excess of £20,000 to buy in commercially.
The Organic Farm grows edible flowers, such as calendula, sunflowers, hibiscus and pansies; fruit and vegetables such as cape gooseberries, tamarillos, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuces, cabbages, peppers, beans, mustard, radishes, pumpkins and celery. It also provides hay and leaves, branches of hedgerow trees and ash, willow and bamboo for the Trust's animals.
All bedding from the animal enclosures, along with everything from lawn cuttings to used teabags from the staff kitchens, is recycled to create for compost for the Organic Farm, so there is no need for chemical fertilisers. The nutritional value of organic farm home-grown foods is far superior to imported foods, and feeding whole plants to animals encourages them to forage as they would in the wild. For example, the gorillas and orangutans are given whole pea and bean plants rather than picked and prepared ‘oven ready’ type that we humans prefer. This means that the animals have to spend time picking through the plants to find the tasty pods, chewing on and discarding leaves, stems and roots along the way – this type of foraging behaviour would make up much of their daily activity in the wild.
Children’s programme
Younger supporters of Durrell Wildlife can join the Dodo Club. As well as free entry to The Trust all year round, Dodo Club members receive a regular newsletter and colour poster, and can participate in our special Conservation Award scheme. The Conservation Education Department runs Activity Weeks during the school holidays, which consist of special conservation themed workshops where Dodo Club members can learn about conservation in a fun-filled environment. More details about the Dodo Club, including an on-line application form, can be found on the Trust’s website. The website also carries up-to-date information about upcoming Activity Week workshops and other children’s activities.The Trust also runs a schools’ programme, which consists of various workshops based at the Trust, for five to 16-year-olds. The classroom can be transformed into an environment to complement a particular topic – for example a scrubland or rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
. School groups visiting from the UK and France are also catered to, by prior arrangement with the Conservation Education Department. As well as visiting Island schools, staff also run courses for the Island's GNVQ and BTEC
Business And Technology Education Council (BTEC)
The Business and Technology Education Council is the British body which awards vocational qualifications. Such qualifications are commonly referred to as "BTECs"....
students.
Funders
Significant financial support for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust has been provided by the Harcroft Foundation. The Foundation was established by the late Charles RycroftCharles Rycroft (businessman)
Charles Louis Rycroft was a wealthy English businessman, an important contributor to the development of the Malayan rubber industry, and a major philanthropist and benefactor of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust....
. For further details of the Foundation please contact Mr Robin Rumboll, C/o the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.