Jersey Zoo

Vorlage:Infobox zoo

Jersey Zoological Park or Jersey Zoo is a 25-acre (100,000 m²) zoological park established in 1959 on the island of Jersey in the English Channel by naturalist and author Gerald Durrell (1925-1995). It is now officially called Durrell after its founder. It has approximately 150,000 visitors per year, despite a lack of emphasis on large animals and its relatively out-of-the-way location; visitor numbers tend to vary with the tourist trade to Jersey.

Jersey Zoo has always concentrated on rare and endangered species. It has mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles, comprising over 190 species.

Since 1964, the zoo has been home to the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (formerly the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust).

Site

The zoo is located at Les Augrès Manor, Trinity, Jersey, Vorlage:Convert north of Saint Helier. It officially opened on March 26 1959.

The zoo is situated in 31 acres of landscaped parkland and water-gardens. It has a strong commitment to looking after the Island’s native wildlife, and large areas within the grounds have been designated native habitat areas. 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. 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 and song thrush.

There are over 50 nest-boxes positioned around the grounds, which are used by a variety of birds including barn owls, kestrels, swallows and martins. Other animals which are commonly seen within the grounds are the red squirrel, bank vole, and the short-toed tree creeper, which is not found in the UK.

Around the Site

Durrell primarily works with species from locations which are ecologically rich in diversity and not found anywhere else, such as islands and rainforests.

Jewels of the Forest

In 2004 the Jewels of the Forest opened on the location where Pheasants used to be housed. This is now a walkthrough for visitors where they can get up close to a number of songbirds, doves and phesants normally found in South East Asia. The feature holds a variety of exotic plants, and is open to the elements, but the birds are kept in by a large netted roof. Amongst the birds is the extremely rale Blue crowned Laughingthrush, and Java Sparrow, subjects to the illegal bird trade.

Species	Status	Location
Palawan Peacock Pheasant	Vulnerable	Palawan
Nicobar Pigeon	Near Threatened	Nicobar Islands
Emerald Dove	Least Concern	Sri Lanka
Mindanao Bleeding-heart Dove	Endangered	Mindanao Island, Philippines
Blue-crowned Laughingthrush	Critically Endangered	China
Red-tailed Laughingthrush	Least Concern	China, Thailand
White-rumped Shama	Least Concern	Malaysia
Java Sparrow	Vulnerable	Java, Indonesia
Pekin Robin	Least Concern	China
Hooded Pitta	Least Concern	Malaysia
Chestnut-backed Thrush	Near Threatened	Indonesia
Asian Fairy-bluebird	Least Concern	India, Sri Lanka
Grey-faced Liocichla	Vulnerable	China

Cloud Forest

First opened in 1999, the Cloud Forest is the first enclosure at Durrell to feature mixed animals, including carniverous species. It still is a trial running with the intent on learning new skills and techniques in the future with model species. These techniques are then used on rarer cousins of the current animals Built on the sites which used to include the cheetahs, barbirusa's and the bears In the Cloud Forest visitors will spot the Andean Bears, the only bear from South America, and have been in Jersey since 1963.

Species	Status	Location
Andean Bear	Vulnerable	Peru
Ring-tailed Coati	Least Concern	Central & South America
Oriental Small-clawed Otter	Near Threatened	India, Bangladesh
Black Howler Monkey	Least Concern	Argentina
Brazilian Tanager	Least Concern	Brazil

Princess Royal Pavillion

The Pavillion was opened by HRH Princess Anne Princess Royal, in 1970s, and serves as a conference centre, and as classroom. The theatre shows films depicting the work of the trust, and also exhibits artwork. The classroom highlights threats to related species, and details or work undertaken by Gerald Durrell and team, including the plight of the patula snail.

Species	Status	Location
Typhlonectes natans	Least Concern	South America
Partula (genus)snails	Critically Endangered	Palau, Micronesia, Guam,

The Pavillion also houses a number of species which are used for education of staff, and for visits from the local schools and parties. These species are exotic though not particularly threatened at all. Such species include Corn Snake, Rainbow boa, Milk Snake, New Guinea Blue tongued skink, Giant African land snail, Giant millipede, Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, and Extatosoma tiaratum a large stick insect.

The Gaherty Reptile and Amphibian Centre

Reptiles

Species	Status	Location
Jamaican Boa	Vulnerable	Jamaica
Burmese Python	Near Threatened	Myanmar
Eyelash Viper	Least Concern	South America
Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman	Least Concern	South America
Indochinese Box Turtle	Critically endangered	Vietnam, Laos
Malagasy Flat tailed tortoise	Endangered	Madagascar
Hispaniolan Slider	Vulnerable	Dominican Republic, Haiti
Spiny Turtle	Endangered	Malaysia
Rhinoceros Iguana	Vulnerable	Haiti, Dominican Republic
Lesser Antillean Iguana	Vulnerable	Lesser Antilles
Utila iguana	Endangered	Utila Island, Mexico
Rio Fuerte Beaded Lizard	Vulnerable	Mexico
Blue Spiny Lizard	Least Concern	Mexico

Amphibians

Species	Status	Location
Mountain Chicken	Endangered	Montserrat
Majorcan midwife toad	Vulnerable	Majorca
Blue Poison Dart Frog	Vulnerable	Surinam
Strawberry Poison-dart Frog	Near threatened	Colombia, Surinam
Golden Poison Dart Frog	Endangered	Colombia
Amazon Milk Frog	Least Concern	Brazil
Montserrat Whistling Frog	Least Concern	Montserrat
Cane Toad	Conservation Threat	Central & South America, introduced in Australia

Paddocks

Species	Status	Location
Radiated Tortoise	Vulnerable	Madagascar
Marginated Tortoise	Least Concern	Albania, Greece
Jersey Common Lizard / Green Lizard	Near Threatened	Jersey
Jersey Agile Frog	Critically Endangered	Jersey, Channel Islands

Gorillas

Species	Status	Location
Western Lowland Gorilla	Endangered	Congo

New World Monkeys

Species	Status	Location
Golden Lion Tamarin	Endangered	Brazil
Golden-headed Lion Tamarin	Endangered	Brazil
Emperor Tamarin	Vulnerable	Brazil
Cottontop Tamarin	Endangered	Brazil
Pied Tamarin	Critically Endangered	Brazil
Goeldi's Monkey	Near Threatened	Brazil, Peru

Central Valley

Mammals

Species	Status	Threats	Location	Programme
Sumatran Orangutan	Critically Endangered	Hunting and Habitat Loss	Sumatra, Indonesia	1968-
Celebes Crested Macaque	Endangered	Habitat Loss	Sulawesi, Indonesia	1963-
Lar Gibbon	Near Threatened	Habitat Loss	South East Asia	1997-
Ring-tailed Lemur	Vulnerable	Habitat Loss	Madagascar	1964-
Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur	Endangered	Habitat Loss	Madagascar	1982-
Red Ruffed Lemur	Critically Endangered	Habitat Loss	Madagascar	1982-
Alaotran Gentle Lemur	Critically Endangered	Hunting and Habitat Loss	Madagascar	1990-
Aye-Aye	Endangered	Deforestation	Madagascar	1990-
Silvery Marmoset	Least Concern	Deforestation, Logging	Brazil	1973-
Black Lion Tamarin	Critically Endangered	Deforestation	Brazil	1982-
Malagasy Giant-Jumping Rat	Endangered	Limited Distribution, Habitat Loss	Madagascar	1990-
Meerkat	Least Concern	Habitat Loss	Botswana, South Africa	1999-
Narrow-striped Mongoose	Endangered	Habitat Loss, Logging	Madagascar	2003-
Livingstone's Fruit Bat	Critically Endangered	Deforestation	Comoros	1992-
Rodrigues Flying Fox	Critically Endangered	Deforestation	Mauritius	1976-
Maned Wolf	Neat Threatened	Habitat Loss	Brazil, Chile	2000-
Red-fronted Brown Lemur	Near threatened	Habitat Loss	Madagascan Dry Forests	Coming Soon

Birds

Species	Status	Threats	Location	Programme
Northern Bald Ibis	Critically Endangered	Hunting, Habitat Loss	Morocco,	1965-
Chilean Flamingo	Near Threatened	Habitat Loss, Pollution	Chile	1976-
Greater Flamingo	Least Concern	Habitat Loss	Africa, Asia	2002-
White-naped Crane	Vulnerable	Habitat Loss	Mongolia, Russia, China	1979-
Grey Crowned Crane	Least Concern	Habitat Loss	Africa	1967-
Blue Crane	Vulnerable	Habitat Loss	South Africa	2004-
Congo Peafowl	Vulnerable	Habitat Loss	Congo	1976-
Edward's Pheasant	Endangered	Hunting, Trade, Habitat Loss	Vietnam	1976-
Vietnamese Pheasant	Endangered	Hunting, Illegal Trade	Vietnam	1999-
St Lucia Amazon	Vulnerable	Deforestation	St Lucia	1975-
Echo Parakeet	Endangered	Habitat Loss	Mauritius	1987-
Wrinkled Hornbill	Near Threatened	Deforestation	Malaysia	2001-
Pink Pigeon	Endangered	Deforestation	Mauritius	1977-
Swan Goose	Endangered	Hunting, Climate	Mongolia, China	1970s-
Red-breasted Goose	Endangered	Climate Change	Scandinavia	1970s-
Madagascar Teal	Endangered	Deforestation	Madagascar	1993-
Meller's Duck	Endangered	Deforestation	Madagascar	1975-
White-winged Wood Duck	Endangered	Hunting, Habitat Loss	India, Bangladesh	2007-
Marbled Duck	Vulnerable	Habitat Loss	Spain	1999-
Ferruginous Duck	Near Threatened	Habitat Loss	Africa	2006-
Hottentot Teal	Least Concern	Habitat Loss	Africa	2005-
Indonesian Teal	Least Concern	Habitat Loss	Indonesia	2007-
White-backed Duck	Least Concern	Habitat Loss	Central Africa	2007-
White-faced Whistling Duck	Least Concern	Habitat Loss	Africa, South America	2007-
Black-winged Stilt	Vulnerable	Habitat Loss	Europe	1999-
Bali Starling	Critically Endangered	Illegal Bird Trade	Bali	1972-
Montserrat Oriole	Critically Endangered	Habitat Loss, Volcanic Activity	Montserrat	1999-
Red-crested Turaco	Least Concern	Habitat Loss	South Africa	1972-
Black Bulbul	Least Concern	Habitat Loss	Madagascar	1999-
White-crowned Robin-chat	Least Concern	Habitat Loss	West Africa	2004-
Tropical mockingbird	Least Concern	Habitat Loss	Trinidad	2008-

Future Developments

In 2009, Durrell will be celebrating its 50th year in Jersey, as part of the celebrations the trust its set to launch its new vision for the future. To ensure another 50 years in Jersey. The ambitious plans were announced in January 2008, with a new emphasis on the notion of 'TopSpots'. Places where the greatest diversity of animals are found such as islands and highlands. It is budgeted that the cost of the redevelopment would be in the region of £46 million pounds over the next five years. All funds need to be raised through public and private donations. There are nine main aspects of development with animal welfare in its mind.

Plans include an African Bai for its family of gorillas. Mascarenia a new haven for the birds, bats and turtles of Madagascar, Mauritius and Comores. Along with new homes for the lemurs, striped mongoose, giant jumping rat and aye-aye. Plans also include a new visitor centre including shop and restaurant, eco lodges within the ground, improved medical facilities, improved training facilities, refurbishment of Les Augres Manor, work on the Royal Pavilion, and an all new up to date and larger amphibian and reptile centre.

On June 5th 2008 Durrell launched its 50th Anniversary campaign 'Its Time' an advertising campaign to help reach out to invividuals and businesses alike to take notice and start donating

History

The Founder

Durrell began his career capturing animals for other zoos, but thought that the facilities needed to concentrate more on animal conservation rather than mere entertainment. He tells the story of starting the zoo in his book "Menagerie Manor".

Jambo

Jambo was a gorilla who was born in 1961, in 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.

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

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.

Przewalski's Horse

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. Since the recent phase of the recovery includes introducing them to the wild, it can be assumed the Jersey pair were part of this in 2000.

Work in Jersey

Encouraging Wildlife A programme set up by Durrell to encourage local Jersey wildlife such as red squirrels, bank voles and hedgehogs integrating them with the zoo. Centre piece is a pond encouraging waterfowl and insects such as dragonflies and damselflies.

Helping the local species Durrell is also working closely with local wildlife groups to help with the declining populations of Jersey's Sand lizard and the Jersey Crappaud / Common Toad.

Local rare and declining plant propagation

A long way from the usual animal conservation work at Durrell. Aim is maintain the genetic diversity of the locally rare plants. Currently four species are being grown in the propagation unit. Fragaria vesca or Wild Strawberry, Dianthus gallicus or Jersey Pink, Anogramma leptophylla or Jersey Fern and Linaria vulgaris or Common Toadflax. Other plant species will be propagated as seed or cutting material becomes available. As some of these plant species are so severely threatened, just finding specimens for propagation will be a real challenge.

During the valley restoration project in 2000/01 two species of locally rare orchid were encouraged, and first flowered in 2005. They are Loose Flowered-orchid and Southern Marsh-orchid.

Durrell Overseas

Pygmy Hog

Although no longer located in Jersey, conservation is still monitored by Durrell in Assam India and other locations. The species is still in dire need of funding and help.

Blue Iguana

Hitting headlines recently is some success in Grand Cayman with the Blue Iguana. Working alongside local authorities the iguana is being saved from extinction. It shows what can be done.

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.

Antiguan Racer

In 1995 was dubbed the world's rarest snake. More recently the species have been relocated back to Antigua on some islands where they are free from predators / pests.

Completed Programmes

External links

Commons: Jersey Zoo – Sammlung von Bildern, Videos und Audiodateien

Durrell's website

Vorlage:British zoos Vorlage:Life and Times of Gerald Durrell Vorlage:Zoos Vorlage Coord: Einbindungsfehler
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