| Jersey Zoo | |
|---|---|
 Thedodo is the symbol of the trust and the zoo. Statues of dodos stand at the zoo's gateways. | |
 Interactive map of Jersey Zoo | |
| 49°13′45″N02°04′25″W / 49.22917°N 2.07361°W /49.22917; -2.07361 | |
| Date opened | 26 March 1959 (1959-03-26) |
| Location | Trinity, Jersey |
| Land area | 32 acres (13 ha)[1] |
| No. of animals | 1,400+[1] |
| No. of species | 130+[2] |
| Annual visitors | 169,000 (2009)[2] |
 | This article needs to beupdated. The reason given is:Lacking information on recent controversy - see talk page. In addition, much of the information labelled "currently" was added circa 2011, with no clear indication of date. It should be confirmed or replaced from more recent sources.. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(August 2025) |
Jersey Zoo (formerlyDurrell Wildlife Park[3]) is azoological park established in 1959[2] on the island ofJersey in theEnglish Channel bynaturalist and writerGerald Durrell. It is operated by theDurrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. In 2023, the zoo welcomed 209,474 visitors, its highest number in four years.[4]
Jersey Zoo has always concentrated on rare andendangered species. It housesmammals, birds,amphibians andreptiles, comprising over 130 species. In 2025, Niall Husbands was appointed Chair of the Trust, succeeding Matthew Hatchwell.[5]
The park is located atLes Augrès Manor,Trinity, Jersey, 5 miles (8 km) north ofSaint Helier. It officially opened on 26 March 1959.[2]
The park is situated in 32 acres (13 ha) of landscaped parkland and water-gardens. The Trust has a commitment to looking after the Island's native wildlife, and large areas within the grounds have been designated native habitat areas. The planting of flowering and fruiting trees throughout the grounds also serves to attract wild birds and insects.[citation needed] Included in the former are several species of bird which used to be commonly seen in island gardens but have become increasingly scarce, including thehouse sparrow andsong thrush.[citation needed]
There are over 50nest-boxes positioned around the grounds, which are used by a variety of birds includingbarn owls,kestrels,swallows andhouse martins. Other animals which are commonly seen within the grounds are thered squirrel,bank vole, and theshort-toed treecreeper.[citation needed]
Gerald Durrell began his career capturing animals for other zoos, but thought that the facilities needed to concentrate more on animalconservation rather than mere entertainment. He started the zoo in 1959. Durrell tells the story of starting the zoo in his bookMenagerie Manor and others.[citation needed]
In January 2008 plans known as "New Vision" were unveiled for the future of the zoo. These 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 thewestern 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 Indian Ocean; and eco-lodge cabins for visitors to stay in.[citation needed]
It was budgeted that the cost of the redevelopment would be in the region of £46 million (equivalent to £66,000,000 in 2023) 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.[citation needed]
In May 2011, a new visitor centre and restaurant was officially opened byPrincess Anne.[6] A webcam service has been recently developed at the zoo.[citation needed] Cameras have been installed in themeerkat enclosure, as well as in those of theTelfair's skinks, theLivingstone's fruit bats 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.[citation needed] In 2015 an infantsilverback gorilla named Indigo who lived at the park was chosen to be the mascot of the2015 Island Games which were held on the island.[7]
Opened in 2004, this exhibit houses various Asian birds such as:
Opened in 1999, the Cloud Forest was the first enclosure at the zoo to feature mixed animals, including carnivorous species.
The Pavilion was opened by 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.[citation needed]
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. Around sixty percent of the species are not on public display. Those that are include:
The Discovery Desert was opened in April 2009, and was designed to give the family ofmeerkats more room to roam, and prevent them from digging for freedom. Discovery Desert is a mixed-species exhibit featuring other animals which share the meerkat's habitat in the wild.
Thewestern lowland gorilla family has been represented at Jersey Zoo since it first opened in 1959, when they had only an infant female (thought to be male at first)gorilla namedN'Pongo, who was later joined by a younger infant female gorilla namedNandi. The current enclosure includes an outdoor play area, and three internal rooms, two large on-show ones and a smaller off-show one. The family of five is led by a silverback calledBadongo, who was born inLa Vallée des Singes, a zoo in France.Badongo is the successor ofYa Kwanza, and has had two offspring withBahasha, a male namedIndigo and a female namedAmari.Indigo has since left to start his own family. The remaining members of the troupe areKishka (who died in 2024), andHlalli Kahilli a female descendant ofJambo andN'Pongo.
A expanded and updated gorilla complex is due to be completed in 2024.[citation needed][needs update]
Jambo was a gorilla who was born in 1961, in theZoo Basel, Switzerland. Jambo featured in the news in 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 analyse 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.[citation needed]
In an enclosure which was revamped in the 1990s theorangutans 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 at Jersey Zoo since 1968, and come from Sumatra. The zoo used to have theBornean orangutans, until it was decided that it should focus on the rarest when the redevelopment took place. There are currently five orangutans at Jersey Zoo; 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 femalelar gibbon named Hazel and a white cheeked gibbon named Genta.[citation needed][needs update]
The tamarins are kept in two areas of the park, some such as thegolden lion andemperor tamarins best kept within their own enclosures. Meanwhile, others such as thepied tamarin and thesilvery marmoset are allowed to run free in a small wooded area.
The Central Valley expands across the centre of the park, creating a natural barrier and water resource for local species. £1 million project to redevelop the central valley, completed in 2002, has created an area 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 areAnacamptis laxiflora andDactylorhiza praetermissa.[citation needed]
Since 1964 Jersey Zoo have been working with themacaque family, in the same location, just to the side of the valley. The family have bred well, thoughevents in Sulawesi[clarification needed] counterbalance the work by the zoo's team.[citation needed]
In 2022 the zoo introduced a troupe of 15gelada to the park. They moved in next door to the Macaque family.[citation needed]
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.
A large polytunnel was built with used tyres in spring 2011 to home two species of bat, theRodrigues flying fox and theLivingstone's fruit bat. An additional tunnel was completed in summer 2017, also built using recycled materials, to provide more room for the bats to fly, in particular creating a circular flying pattern.
After at least 10 of the Livingstone’s fruit bat colony died from the bacterial infectionpasteurella in 2025, the curator of mammals announced that the facility would close, citing the high cost of rebuilding the bat tunnel.[8]
In 2019, a butterfly walkthrough tunnel was built and opened by Princess Anne. It containsMenelaus blue morpho butterflies and somegiant tortoises.
Opened in 2023, this is a new temperature-controlled home for fourAldabra giant tortoises.
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 homes for lemurs, giant jumping rats, mongooses and a walkthrough aviary.
In 1976 there were only fourMauritius kestrel 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 andecosystem.[citation needed]
Originally extinct from the wild, the zoo was part of the coalition of zoos which together brought thePrzewalski's horse species from the brink of extinction.[citation needed]
Jersey Zoo works with local wildlife groups to help with the declining populations of Jersey'ssand lizard, the Jerseycrapaud /common toad, and Jersey'sagile frog. It also undertakes efforts to maintain the genetic diversity of locally rare plants. Currently[when?] four species are being grown in the propagation unit.Fragaria vesca (wild strawberry),Dianthus gallicus (Jersey pink),Anogramma leptophylla (Jersey fern) andLinaria vulgaris (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.
In 2010, Jersey Zoo undertook a project to reintroduce birds that once populated the island's clifftops, but have long disappeared. Thered-billed chough is the first focus of the programme. There are also plans to do something similar with theyellowhammer should the project prove successful. The red-billed chough became extinct on Jersey in the nineteenth century, but they have once again returned. Jersey Zoo has joined a breeding programme and so a group are being kept there to form a captive colony, with hope to establish a free flying colony on Jersey's north coast.
Although no longer located in Jersey, conservation ofPygmy hogs is still monitored by Jersey Zoo inAssam, India and other locations. During 2008 some pygmy hogs were released into the wild in Assam, early reports show good progress with the species.[citation needed]
There has been some success inGrand Cayman with theblue 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.[citation needed]
TheMadagascar pochard was previously thought extinct, though was rediscovered when looking for something else.[clarification needed] Jersey Zoo have recently[when?] 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.[citation needed]
In 1995 theAntiguan racer was dubbed the world's rarest snake. More recently[when?] the species have been relocated back toAntigua on some islands where they are free from predators and pests.[citation needed]
Work began on the Durrell Wildlife Camp[9] in early 2012, which will allow the park to sell lodging and services to visitors.
A wooded copse to the west ofLes Augrès Manor has been landscaped to provide a nine-metre-square level wooden deck roughly every seven metres. These decks will house twelvegeodesic dome-shaped, semi permanenttent 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.[citation needed]
