Wild Life 2023 vol 2

WILD L IFE

2023 ISSUE 2

Become a Durrell Gardien

Join a group of wildlife enthusiasts supporting Durrell’s vision of a wilder, healthier, more colourful world.

Set up by Gerald and Lee Durrell on the 25th anniversary of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust to be true “guardians” of the Trust, the Durrell Gardiens are a committed group of supporters, passionate about conservation and making a difference. The Gardiens are ambassadors for Durrell and take pride in sharing our work with friends and acquaintances worldwide.

Gardiens receive invitations to bespoke events and behind-thescenes tours, and are among the first to gain insights into our work direct from the Jersey Zoo team and international conservationists.

As a Gardien, you will also receive regular project updates and, together with the Durrell team, you will be part of the process in deciding where your collective gift is allocated.

Joining as a Gardien brings you even closer to the work of Durrell, with exclusive opportunities to meet the expert team and experience our work first-hand.

Being a Gardien involves giving an annual gift of £1,500 to Durrell, enabling our mission of saving species from extinction, and directly supporting our zoo projects, which are vital to our vision of a wilder, healthier, more colourful world.

Meet our Chef de Gardiens Richard Prosser has been a passionate Durrell supporter for many years and took on the voluntary role of ‘Chef de Gardiens’ in October 2020. Richard would be delighted to hear from anyone who wants to find out more about joining as a Durrell Gardien.

Please contact Richard on +44 7797 717344 or email him at richard@prosser.je

Welcome everyone to this edition of Wild Life!

It’s my privilege to write this message as the new Chair of the Durrell Board of Trustees, a post I took over from Rob Kirkby at the AGM in October. Sincere thanks to both Rob and Mary Curtis, who also stood down as a Trustee in October, for their years of service to Durrell At the time of writing, Jersey Zoo has just been rocked by the worst storm to have hit the island since 1987. Storm Ciarán seriously disrupted the lives of hundreds of Jersey families and caused widespread damage to homes and to the zoo, which is still closed as I write today as the site is made safe for staff, visitors and volunteers to return. Many thanks to the employees who went above and beyond the call of duty to clear fallen trees and debris in the immediate aftermath of the storm, and to generous members and supporters who have supported that effort!

of November, for her outstanding leadership since 2016. Because of Lesley’s vision and commitment, Durrell today is in better financial shape than it ever has been, the number of zoo visitors has returned to levels not seen for more than 20 years, and our impact in terms of wildlife conservation is greater than ever.

Lesley’s greatest legacy to Durrell will be the landmark agreement signed earlier this year securing a 100-year lease on the 18,500-acre Dalnacardoch Estate in Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park for rewilding. On the part of the donor family, this gift shows enormous confidence in Durrell – for which we are hugely grateful – and positions the Trust to become a leading force for the restoration of degraded landscapes in Great Britain. We will miss Lesley’s passion for conservation and wish her all the best for the future.

Matthew Hatchwell Chair, Board of Trustees

I also take this opportunity to thank Dr Lesley Dickie, who will step down as CEO at the end

Contents 2

Lesley article

4

At the zoo

6

In the wild

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Rewilding Dalnacardoch

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Species spotlight - Saving amphibians from extinction

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Dodo Dispatch - Museum of Bones II

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The next chapter for enabling change in Madagascar

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Meet the team - Allan Muir, Head of Veterinary Services

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Tech Corner - How to plant a tree corridor

26

Be Inspired

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Tortoise Takeover

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In Numbers - Enabling change

It is important to us that we keep you informed about our work, and the difference we are making to the many species, habitats and local communities with which we work.

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DU R R E L L WILDLIF E C ON SERVATION TR UST is a Registered Charity with the Jersey Charity Commissioner, registered charity number: 1 PATR O N HRH The Princess Royal FOUND ER Gerald Durrell, OBE, LHD HONOR A RY D IRE CT OR Dr Lee Durrell, MBE, PhD DU R R E L L WILDLIF E C ON SERVATION TR UST - UK is registered in England and Wales. A charitable company limited by guarantee.

R E G I S TE R ED C HA RIT Y N UMBER 1121989 R EGISTER ED COMPANY NUMB E R 6448493 R E G I S TE R ED OF F ICE c/o Intertrust Corporate Services (UK) Limited, 1 Bartholomew Lane, London, EC2N 2AX P H O TO A N D ILLUST RAT ION CR ED ITS Michel Becheleni, Will Bertram, Becky Bloomfield, Amy Bompass, Diego Bresani, Danny Evans dannyphoto.com, Gregory Guida, Jersey Overseas Aid, Robin Hoskyns, Rachel Hughes rachelhughesphotography.com, Jade Johnson, Louise Saw, Alex Ward, Charlie Wylie, Ben Young COV ER IMA GE White-naped crane, Rachel Hughes

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Final reflections Dr Lesley Dickie Chief Executive Officer

This is my very last article for Wild Life and I want to reflect on the past seven years but also look to the future.

Seven years have flown by, but what a lot we have packed into those years despite being buffeted by an unstable external environment. I have been CEO of Durrell since 2016 and half that time has been impacted by COVID-19, Brexit, Ukraine and the resulting inflationary pressures. The world in my lifetime has never felt so disjointed and unstable, and the impacts of biodiversity loss and climate change are beginning to bite.

But look what we achieved despite this tumult. I have often been asked about these global emergencies and how stressful it must be to lead an organisation during episodes such as a pandemic. My reply has always been “No, it’s a privilege”. A privilege to be given the responsibility to steer an organisation through a turbulent world. That is going to be my overriding memory of Durrell, the privilege it has been to steer this ship for the last seven years. That, and the absolute fun I have had along the way with some amazing colleagues at Durrell and in the wider community.

There have been so many highpoints, and I can only mention a few here. Launching the Rewild our World strategy in 2017 during the annual Durrell lecture at the Royal Institution in London was a fabulous occasion. This was a night to remember, being the first time, I met with our Patron, Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal. I had the

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pleasure of giving the full lecture that year and in the stellar front row of the beautiful Faraday lecture theatre was HRH, Lord Hall, the then Director General of the BBC, and last but certainly not least, Dame Judy Dench. It took all my will power to concentrate on the actual lecture. Afterwards at dinner, Dame Judy grasped my hand and said “Darling, how did you remember all your lines?”. I did memorise all my lines for the evening, and I will certainly always remember that conversation!

But of course, the really important part was the actual strategy itself, setting out our store of the projects and purpose we were going to pursue into the future in fulfilling our mission of saving species from extinction. We have continued to make great progress on the work, despite the volatile external environment, and in 2024 the Trust will begin the next planning process to launch the new strategy in 2025. Durrell may not be the largest conservation organisation in the world, but it does not lack in ambition.

This is exemplified by our most significant new project, the 100-year lease of 18,500 acres of the Cairngorms National Park. This is a step-change in scale of ambition, creating a rewilded landscape from a denuded former sporting estate.

Borne from a wonderful relationship with a donor family who so trusted in Durrell and our abilities that they purchased this estate for the sole purpose of bringing a more healthy and diverse nature back to the land. I do feel proud that this is a legacy project for me. Of course the current Senior

Management Team and I were only ever going to be the instigators of this project. Generations of Durrell staff will work on this grand plan for the next 100 years. I just hope to visit in 30 years and see the new forest that will have grown there and the species that have returned.

I travelled to Assam in India to take part in the release of pygmy hogs. That was a wonderful opportunity to experience that very poignant moment when all your hopes in the future of species are bound up in the tiny animal being released in the big wild world. It was emotional, exciting, exhilarating and represents years of work and perseverance by our teams. Reintroducing pochards, the rarest duck in the world, back to Madagascar, was also a highlight moment for the Trust and made even more exciting just this year as we started to see ducks released at Lac Sofia making the journey to return to their ancestral home at Lac Aloatra. Making true impact in conservation is a slow story. What we tend to measure as we go are the outputs of our activities, impact being much harder to measure. Therefore, milestones such as the ducks travelling through the country are important indicators that things are beginning to happen. The species is far from safe, but the process is well underway and the future is looking bright.

Rewild Carbon has been a fascinating programme to be a part of. It addresses the thorny question of how an organisation explicitly tackles the huge problem of climate change, whilst not losing sight that biodiversity is as important and that both must be addressed together.

This year has seen some other carbon offset programmes be rightly criticised for failing to deliver and perhaps even being mis-sold. I am confident that we got it right with Rewild Carbon due to our strong collaborative relationship with our partners in Brazil and not simply relying on tick box accreditation programmes. Rewild Carbon also puts biodiversity, species and communities of people at the heart of the programme. This is a fantastic pointer to how carbon offset programmes need to function for greatest benefit. We have gone from a budget of just a few thousand pounds in our Brazil work to hundreds of thousands a year, tree corridors growing and supporting more work on amazing animals such as black lion tamarins, giant armadillos and giant anteaters.

Closer to home we have brought some amazing animals to Jersey, including four Aldabra giant tortoises now housed in the recently constructed Tortoise Tunnel. This exhibit really exemplifies the incredibly complex and unique organisation that Durrell is, linking our field programme on Round Island to our work in the zoo. No other zoo-based organisation on Earth puts such a high % of its overall turnover into conservation, a track record we can be proud of. During my tenure I increased mission spend by 73%, making Durrell more of a conservation organisation than it was before. This speaks to my enthusiasm and that of the wider team, for the purpose to which our founder envisaged.

Increasing that spend has come about due to the professionalisation of many aspects of the Trust. Time and again we see organisations go through that phase, where they get too big to be run on a “we’ll muddle through” approach, but rather have to grasp the nettle, moving into that much more mature institution, where pragmatic but effective decisions for the delivery of mission, need to be made. Aspiring to grow to do even more is part of that maturation.

However, professionalisation does not mean a lack of fun. Fun is an important part of any working day, and I believe fun, combined with hard work, makes people more effective. A good example has been the two giant sculpture trails that we have run across the island. These trails combine my love of art with a fundraising need to build better facilities for our gorillas and reptiles at Jersey Zoo. Hard work? Yes. Huge amounts of fun? Absolutely. Fun isn’t a dirty word in relation to conservation and being miserable does not attract supporters to your cause! A new gorilla house is taking place thanks to the fun of the first trail.

We also have to recognise that there are no silver bullets in how you reach people about nature. People have to feel connected. Though facts work for some listeners, for most its emotion that overrides. How we connect people of all ages and backgrounds is hugely variable, but we need to use all the tools in our arsenal if we are to be effective. A very strong memory from that first gorilla trail is from the farewell weekend when all the gorillas were lined up in the zoo, and we watched as one small girl solemnly walked along the line, stopping to hug every sculpture, and then pat it silently. A small, but moving thank you for that unforgettable summer. That little girl might grow up to be zoologist or an artist or equally importantly a person who just cares about our planet. We seldom get to know our impact on visitors, sometimes they tell us, but that day we saw the impression our hard work had on one small person.

That is going to be my overriding memory of Durrell, the privilege it has been to steer this ship for the last seven years.

That, and the absolute fun I have had along the way with some amazing colleagues at Durrell and in the wider community.

I leave as one element in the story of Durrell, hopefully having played my part in getting the Trust to the next stage it needed to reach. I have made friends for life, and I cannot thank enough the truly magnificent Senior Management Team who have so supported me. I will watch with great interest and love as Durrell continues its story.

One final thanks. Where else but at one of the spectacular Durrell balls could I have the opportunity to sing on stage with the wonderful Sister Sledge, with Debbie Sledge herself holding the mic for me. My thwarted inner pop star will be forever grateful.

Good luck Team Durrell and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

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News

At the zoo Double trouble Our resident aardvark Tafari is usually found dosing on his back, but he now has someone to snuggle with! Nacho, a nine-year-old female aardvark, has joined us from Whipsnade Zoo. Nacho is inquisitive, friendly and has quickly made the space her home.

They’re right here in black and white We’re celebrating the birth of two critically endangered black and white ruffed lemur twins! Born on 29 April to parents Atilla and Sava, the new dynamic duo are keeping their parents busy.

Native to Madagascar, the black and white ruffed lemur is known for carrying pollen through the forest on its fur, which makes it the largest pollinator in the world, and vital to the local ecosystem.

You can meet the twins in Kirindy Forest, next to the Visitor Centre.

Aardvarks are mostly nocturnal, so you’ll see them snoozing during the day, or you may catch them running around Discovery Desert in the evening. These unique animals have long noses, an acute sense of smell, and 30cm-long tongues. They can eat up to 50,000 termites a day, but insects are tastiest when shared.

Singing magpie praises

Im-peck-able refurbishments Some of Jersey Zoo’s most interesting yet lesser-known birds have happily settled into their stylish new home. Named after the tropical dry region of Madagascar, the Kirindy Forest aviary hosts a diverse range of birds; from the characterful and charismatic Madagascar ibis to the Namaqua dove, the world’s smallest dove. Located near the bokibokys, this walk-through exhibit has been given a new modern structure, so zoo visitors get the chance to see these beautiful birds up close.

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There’s an estimated 50 to 250 Javan green magpies left in the wild. The critically endangered species is threatened by deforestation, and they are one of the most sought-after songbirds in the world, wanted for the illegal caged bird trade.

These vibrant birds are endemic to the western forests of Java, an Indonesian island south-west of Singapore.

Two Javan green magpie chicks recently hatched at Jersey Zoo! Welcomed in May 2023, they are the fourth and fifth chicks successfully reared in Jersey. With so few wild counterparts, every hatchling is vital to the species’ conservation.

News

Bye bye bears We recently said a fond farewell to Quechua (Chui) and Bahia. Our two Andean bears have left Jersey for Knowsley Safari in Merseyside.⁠ Firm furry favourites at Jersey Zoo, Chui and Bahia had lived here since 2013 and were joined by the pitter-patter of tiny bear paws when their son Raymi arrived in 2016. ⁠The first Andean bear cub born at Jersey Zoo for over 20 years, Raymi was carefully selected to be paired with a female at Denmark’s Givskud Zoo in 2019. Since then, the pair have bred, making a vital contribution to the breeding programme for this vulnerable species. ⁠ Chui and Bahia are valuable contributors to the breeding programme launched to save Andean bears from extinction. At Knowsley Safari they’ll continue to be an important part of this programme and will have a larger enclosure to themselves with plenty of room to explore.

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News

In the wild Attending FIER Mada Farming group representatives from five of Durrell’s sites in Madagascar, supported by Jersey Overseas Aid, Biodiverse Landscape Fund, and UKAID’s Darwin Initiative, recently attended the FIER Mada fair (Foire Internationale Economique et Rurale).

An annual event by the Ministry of Agriculture of Madagascar, they exhibited products and shared the work Durrell carries out in the country with the public and other stakeholders. Participating in this event helps us to improve our community development strategies and to increase the visibility and impacts of Durrell’s conservation livelihoods and protected area management initiatives at a national level.

Release the turtles!

Three captive-bred Madagascar big-headed turtles, known locally as “rere”, have been released into Lake Ravelobe, bringing the total number released there since 2021 to 36 individuals. The three were tagged with radio tags to monitor them, which will provide valuable information about their habitat use and movements. Found in the swamps and slow-moving rivers of Madagascar, the rere’s wild population declined rapidly due to overfishing and hunting of turtles and their eggs, in addition to climate change affecting their breeding patterns. With the help of local communities, we have been working to protect this species and its habitat since 1998.

Searching for mountain chicken frogs The disease chytridiomycosis wiped out over 90% of the mountain chicken frog’s wild population. Durrell co-ordinates the Mountain Chicken Recovery Programme, a large partnership involving many people within institutions in the UK and the Caribbean.

Members of the programme recently carried out a population census at two known mountain chicken frog sites in Dominica, which equated in around 960 hours of survey time! Around 23 frogs were found, with fewer frogs than expected in one of the locations, which was previously considered a stronghold.

Data gathered by this survey will help prioritise conservation interventions and potential Protected Sites.

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Designing nests for endangered tamarins Our Rewild Carbon and Cans for Corridors projects help to plant tree corridors in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, linking isolated forest fragments and creating vital lifelines for wildlife such as the Endangered black lion tamarin. It will be years before our young trees can provide the tamarins with safe sleeping sites and shelter, so we plan to install artificial nest boxes for the tamarins to use.

We have developed our own and tested them on tamarins living at Jersey Zoo and, together with our local partners Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, are now trialling them in the forest in Brazil.

News

How can bicycles help conservation?

In collaboration with USAID Mikajy, our Madagascar team celebrated World Ranger Day by providing 50 bicycles to nine villages north of the Menabe Antimena Protected Area. The largest dry forest in Madagascar, the Protected Area is home to many threatened endemic species, including the giant jumping rat and flat-tailed tortoise. Over the last 15 years, we have established and trained a group of community patrollers from local villages, who monitor the area and report threats they encounter, such as forest clearance and poaching.

The bicycles will enhance patrol coverage by allowing patrollers to cycle deeper into the forest faster than if they travelled on foot.

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Rewilding Dalnacardoch

In the last issue of Wild Life, we shared the exciting news about our new rewilding project in Scotland.

Durrell’s Director of Field Programmes, Chris Ransom, tells us more about the project and our vision for the future.

species and missing ecological functions. Scotland is the only place in the British Isles that has the scale required to fulfil our vision, and Dalnacardoch provided the perfect opportunity with its location within the Cairngorms National Park.

What is the Dalnacardoch project?

What kind of species will you introduce?

We are restoring the Dalnacardoch Estate in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, to a more natural state over the next 100 years. This is a unique and exciting opportunity to return a large estate in Scotland to a wild and diverse landscape.

We are currently focussing on rebuilding the ecosystems that have been severely damaged. In the future, we are looking forward to hopefully seeing native wildlife such as the capercaillie return to the estate naturally. In some cases, some of these species may need a helping hand. There has also recently been a reintroduction of wildcats in Scotland, so one day we would like to see them using the forest we are returning to the estate.

This marks a real step change for Durrell and is an incredible opportunity to apply our proven techniques in saving species and reviving ecosystems, as well as to demonstrate conservation in action, closer to home.

How did this project come about?

It has been our ambition to launch a landscapescale rewilding project in Great Britain for a number of years. In our Rewild our World strategy that launched in 2017, we outlined the need to conserve nature in our back garden, with the British Isles being one of the most ecologically degraded places on the planet.

We have been working with Affinity Private Wealth, who introduced us to a family foundation several years ago with similar aims to Durrell. After hearing about our ambitious plans for this project, they immediately saw the wide impact it could have.

The rest is history. The family foundation bought the Dalnacardoch Estate and have leased it to Durrell for the next 100 years.

One of the many benefits of Dalnacardoch is that it is part of the Cairngorms National Park. This means we will and can look to participate in species restoration initiatives for the whole park in the future.

What work has started so far?

We got stuck in straight away. We have been undertaking ecological audits of the site, to help us establish the estate’s geography, species and habitats. We will continue these surveys as they are vital in informing our long-term strategic vision for rewilding the site. Additionally, we have been planning the restoration of native woodland and peat. This will form a big part of restoring the ecosystems that have been lost.

We have also been getting to know our neighbours at nearby estates as well as identifying potential partners for us to work with. This allows it to be a real collaborative project for the community.

Why Scotland?

Great Britain is one of the most nature-depleted places on Earth, with a multitude of diminished

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You can find out more about Durrell’s work in Scotland by visiting durrell.org/scotland

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Saving Amphibians From Extinction SAFE programme overview

Amphibians, such as frogs, toads, and salamanders, are a group of animals that need to live near water or in moist environments to survive. Collectively, they are the most threatened vertebrate group on the planet.

Amphibians are fantastically well-adapted to their watery way of life. They tend to have thin and wet skin, allowing oxygen to diffuse through to their blood vessels. Like many salamanders, some amphibians are lungless and rely solely on absorbing oxygen to survive. Others, like several frogs and toads, absorb oxygen through their skin and breathe air into their lungs.

Not only are amphibians superbly suited to their surroundings, they are also vital to the survival of the planet. Amphibians play an important role in nature, both as predators and prey. They eat pest insects, which benefits agriculture around the world and helps minimise the spread of diseases, including malaria.

Amphibian skin contains many different types of peptides, offering possible medical cures for various human diseases. They are already used in some painkillers, high blood pressure medication, to block HIV transmission, and treat antibiotic resistant bacterial strains. As amphibian species disappear, so do potential treatments.

Habitat destruction is the primary threat to these lesser-known and elusive animals, affecting more than half the world’s amphibian species. They also face multiple other threats, such as the deadly fungal disease chytridiomycosis, which has wiped out an estimated 90% of the wild mountain chicken frog population.

Our mission Secure the survival of amphibian species at the world’s highest priority regions.

Our solution Durrell is saving amphibians through our global programme, SAFE.

Saving Amphibians From Extinction (SAFE) is part of our Rewild Our World strategy, launched in 2022. Our aspiration for SAFE is a programme that is saving the world’s most threatened amphibians at global priority sites, led by capable local institutions in partnership with the zoo and conservation community. SAFE priority sites include Jersey, Madagascar, the Caribbean, Brazil and the Tropical Andes. We want to secure the survival of amphibian species that need help most.

41%

of amphibians are threatened with extinction

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SECTION TITLE

How do we save amphibians from extinction?

Using safety stages.

Applying SAFE checks For many species, we must establish what their status is and what responses are needed by undertaking field research. Then we can work with partners to identify priority actions for the species and build local capacity to lead conservation efforts in the future.

Establishing SAFE havens Durrell’s centre of animal research and husbandry, Jersey Zoo, has extensive expertise in the captive management of threatened amphibians. We help identify amphibians most in need of captive assurance colonies, breeding programmes or research, and we work with staff in different breeding facilities to enable the exchange of skills and experience, whether through staff spending time at different in-country centres or our zoo in Jersey.

We also support in-country captive facilities, maximising our impact in a priority area. The development of a new herpetology building at Jersey Zoo using funds raised by Tortoise Takeover represents an opportunity to communicate our work in the field to zoo visitors.

Building SAFEguards Through the Durrell Conservation Academy, we can carry out more detailed assessments of training, skills and development needs within local organisations. This helps to identify appropriate training to run alongside fieldwork and captive breeding to build organisational capacity.

Promoting SAFEty in numbers Amphibian conservation is still often overlooked. It is vital that we raise the profile and highlight the value of these incredible animals.

We will share all knowledge generated through the programme and engage with both conservation and zoobased institutions. We hope to provide concrete success stories that can be replicated by other institutions.

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Species spotlight / Saving Amphibians From Extinction

Implementing SAFE...

In Jersey

Protecting frogs on home soil We have been supporting conservation efforts for the agile frog in Jersey for over 35 years.

By 1987, only one small population of agile frogs remained in Jersey following a pesticide spill and spawn and frogs getting eaten by other species. Now restricted to the southwest side of Jersey, the species is locally critically endangered and is the only wild population left within the British Isles.

As part of SAFE, we are protecting and restoring populations of agile frogs. Land management and habitat restoration are helping to create sustainable environments for them and other amphibians in Jersey. We also raise tadpoles in bio-safe temperature-controlled facilities at Jersey Zoo every year before releasing them into protected areas across the island.

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Saving Amphibians From Extinction / Species spotlight

In the Caribbean

Saving one of the world’s largest frogs The critically endangered mountain chicken frog is one of only two native frog species in Monserrat and the island’s top endemic predator.

The mountain chicken frog has survived hurricanes, volcanic eruption, and being hunted for food, but has now been driven to the brink of extinction by a deadly fungal disease. The microscopic fungus chytridiomycosis is thought to have a 100% mortality rate and has wiped out over 90% of wild mountain chickens.

As part of SAFE, Durrell co-ordinates the Mountain Chicken Recovery Programme, a large partnership involving many people and institutions in the UK and the Caribbean. The project aims to restore a healthy population of mountain chickens to the wild, returning the species to its original numbers.

Jersey Zoo was the first institution to keep and breed mountain chicken frogs in captivity. This zoo population has led to a much greater understanding of the species’ biology and ecology and acts as a safety net group that is isolated from the fungal disease.

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In Brazil

The sky’s the limit The Atlantic Forest in Brazil is one of the most biodiverse habitats in the world, home to over 7% of the planet’s species. Brazil is the country with the most amphibians globally, and 80% of the frog species are found nowhere else on Earth.

The now severely fragmented rainforest once covered a great amount of land and included a variety of habitats, including a section of the Espinhaço Mountain Range. These humid and remote mountains can reach up to 2,000 metres above sea level, where the tropical peaks appear to float above the clouds like “sky islands”.

On these sky islands, SAFE Global Coordinator Izabela Barata discovered two critically endangered frog species found nowhere else in the world.

Approximately the size of a fingertip, the marvellous mountain-dwellers live amongst the leaves of bromeliad plants. Moisture from the humid air causes pockets of water to gather between the leaves, providing a perfect home for the two Crossodactylodes species. Izabela has informally called them “sky frogs”.

We work closely with local partners Instituto Biotrópicos as we try to save sky frogs. Together, we plan to implement conservation management actions to aid the long-term survival of these species.

Furthermore, we are undertaking field surveys of other mountains across the Espinhaço Range, and plan to survey more mountains in the Atlantic Forest too. We aim to establish networks of amphibian conservationists, delivering training to improve in-country capacity for amphibian conservation.

What’s next?

Durrell can make a difference.

We have a wealth of experience in field conservation, captive management and training underpinned and guided by the best science. Our SAFE conservation team members and its partners will continue to implement SAFEty stages at five global priority sites, researching, recovering and protecting amphibians that need help the most.

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DisOpatDchO d

welcome to the I

MUSEUM of BONES II

This year’s special guest in the museum is this mammoth mammoth!

Let’s find out some more about them…

Mammoths Woolly mammoths once lived across much of Europe, Asia and North America, but over time they disappeared. By about 3,600 years ago they were completely extinct.

Why? Changes in climate made most landscapes unsuitable for mammoths. With fewer places to live, mammoth numbers plummeted worldwide. Recent analysis indicates that these declines were sped up by human hunting. Some scientists have even suggested that, without hunting, some mammoth populations might have survived.

We will never know exactly how the last mammoths died. But we do know that many of today’s remarkable animal species also face extinction.

Thousands are at risk due to humans, climate change, or both. It is too late for the mammoth but we can do better for today’s wildlife.

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Dodo Dispatch

Mammoths

A local animal, eaten by local people?

Believe it or not, woolly mammoths were once part of Jersey’s local wildlife!

In the 1960s, archaeologists digging at La Cotte de St Brelade made an astonishing discovery. Buried beneath the rubble were heaps (and heaps) of mammoth bones.

Dodo Dispatch

At first, archaeologists believed the mammoths had been chased over the cliffs by Neanderthal people.

Neanderthal people were closely related to modern humans, but different in some important ways. More recent investigations, suggest that the mammoths were not actually chased over the cliffs. It is now clear, that the mammoths were eaten by people.

Careful inspection of the bones has revealed tell-tale marks of meat processing.

There could be more to learn from the St Brelade mammoth skeletons. Who knows what prehistoric secrets they might reveal?

A mammoth task

Help our mammoth skeleton friend find their head. Which path will you choose?

The next chapter for Enabling Change in Madagascar In the last edition of Wild Life, we introduced you to our new five-year community programme in Madagascar, VALIHA. In this issue we will continue to share what was achieved through the Enabling Change programme, as well as what we have planned for the future of the project.

Strengthening locally led governance

What we achieved through Enabling Change

What we plan to deliver through VALIHA

Our aim: Increase community participation in development initiatives and natural resource management by 2027.

We worked with local natural resource management associations to undertake assessments in 20 villages. We then used the results to design bespoke training to improve natural resource management.

Governance organisations set up

by Enabling Change will continue to receive our support. This includes helping them to enforce regulations more effectively. Training and support will be rolled out to both the new and existing project villages.

Over 450 local leaders and association members attended training sessions. They are now putting this training into practice in their associations.

Offices have been built or renovated in 20 villages so that the associations have a permanent and professional presence in the community. This has increased peoples’ confidence in the associations.

It has also increased peoples’ willingness to report evidence of illegal activity in the marshes and forests. These spaces have also been used for group activities and for community health services.

We will help them engage local authorities on natural resource issues and potential development opportunities. This will be done through training, including adult literacy training.

We will support them with the development and implementation of community based natural resource management plans. This includes the sustainable financing of these plans, by connecting them with the VSLAs.

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The next chapter for Enabling Change in Madagascar

Improving financial independence Our aim: Establish Village Saving and Loan Associations across 18 new communities whilst continuing to provide support to the 128 Associations created under Enabling Change.

What we achieved through Enabling Change

What we plan to deliver through VALIHA

We helped to set up 128 Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs), representing 2,089 members.

VSLA groups will be established in 18 additional villages.

This allowed people in vulnerable communities to become more financially resilient, with access to locally and socially appropriate saving and lending systems. The loans taken out and interest generated on savings has helped people to enhance both their livelihoods and general wellbeing. It has also reduced the need to fall back on environmentally harmful coping strategies.

The VSLA approach has led to positive conservation outcomes too. Our staff have observed that members are more likely participate in conservation activities such as reforestation, patrolling and fire prevention.

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We will digitalise the members’ savings, where the local facilities are available. This will help with security as the groups have been so successful that large amounts of savings are now held in cash.

Training will continue to help strengthen key value chains that are environmentally friendly. This includes maximising profits from honey, beeswax and ducks.

We will work with VSLAs and their members to develop a network that is actively involved in conservation decision making. This will help finance locally designed and led biodiversity conservation in a sustainable way, as well as conservation and ecosystem restoration activities in the future.

The next chapter for Enabling Change in Madagascar

Restoring ecosystem services and reducing threats to species Our aim: Increase locally led biodiversity conservation to restore vitally important ecosystem services and reduce threats posed to critically endangered species in each region.

What we achieved through Enabling Change

What we plan to deliver through VALIHA

In addition to the conservation work we do on the ground in Madagascar, we helped local communities remove invasive water hyacinth to turn it into organic compost. This has contributed to the significant yield increases seen under the project and further decreased the use of chemical fertilisers in the landscape.

We will work with communities to actively restore habitats and the ecosystem services they provide. This includes replanting forests, marshes and mangroves, and removing invasive water plants that are choking fishing channels and hampering the productivity of fisheries.

We would like to thank Jersey Overseas Aid for enabling this ambitious and impactful project and are excited to see what will be achieved in the next five years.

The nature of this conservation livelihoods work is scalable, and is necessary across our rewilding sites in both Madagascar and India. With your help, we can do even more.

If you would like to support our conservation livelihoods work, please contact Harriet Croome harriet.croome@durrell.org to find out more.

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M E E T T H E T EA M

Allan Muir

Head of Veterinary Services at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

Allan leads our expert team of vets who are responsible for the care and welfare of our animals, both here in Jersey and at our rewilding sites across the globe. Allan joined us from the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), where he was responsible for the development and implementation of animal health policy across their membership of 400+ zoos in 47 countries.

What sparked your passion for wildlife?

What were your first impressions of Durrell?

I have so many amazing early memories of visiting both Glasgow and Edinburgh Zoo with my gran. This precious time spent exploring together allowed us to connect with ourselves, each other, and the natural world. These visits stimulated my interest in the work of the zoo community. When I turned 18, I signed up for vet school as I already knew I wanted to be a zoo vet.

The zoo itself is beautiful. It has very natural enclosures, all designed in the spirit of our founder, Gerald Durrell.

What excited you about the role when you first saw it advertised? I’ve known about the work of Durrell almost my entire life. I was also aware of the legacy of my predecessor, Andrew Routh, and knew that I would be inheriting a great team and animals that were well looked after.

When the role became available, it was a nobrainer! Durrell has a great reputation for both leadership and passion, which I have already seen in my short time here.

Tell us about your role in Jersey. I’m the Head of Veterinary Services for the Trust, which means I look after the collection here in Jersey, as well as all the animals at our overseas sites, including Madagascar, India and the Caribbean. The scope of conservation work and the important role that health can play in conservation efforts are what excite me most about this role, as well as the opportunities; not only to develop the health of the animals in our collections but also to develop the team.

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Durrell is run by highly passionate individuals working towards shared values and common goals. As the zoo continues to evolve, I am interested in helping to shape it from the vet’s side. We want to ensure that the animals we care for now and in the future have optimal health and welfare.

What do you hope to achieve in this role?

I’m hoping to get the opportunity to visit our rewilding sites around the world. I’m really looking forward to developing relationships with the teams and vets on the ground in these locations. I also really want to contribute to the further progression and development of the zoo, helping to maintain and enhance its status within the wider European zoo community.

What is the most challenging part of your new role? What are you enjoying the most?

One challenge we are facing at Jersey Zoo, as well as other zoos in the UK, is with imports and exports of animals post-Brexit. I’m hoping my background in policy will serve me well with this challenge.

There is so much I enjoy about working at Durrell. The variety of species that we work with at the zoo, different colleagues with various backgrounds, cultures and roles, and of course the chicken curry from our café!

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Tech Corner

How to plant a tree corridor

The Atlantic Forest in Brazil is one of the most species-rich habitats on the planet, with over half the species found nowhere else on Earth. Due to deforestation, only 6% of the forest remains in scattered fragments.

Trees planted through our Rewild Carbon and Cans for Corridors projects are helping us create tree corridors to reconnect these isolated fragments, allowing wildlife such as black lion tamarins to pass between them safely.

We plant 2,000 native-species trees per hectare, so planting saplings on this scale requires specialist equipment.

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Tech Corner

The orange dibber tools are owned and operated by the forest restoration team; a business run by the local community.

Our local conservation partners Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (IPÊ) buy the seedlings from local nurseries, and then contract the forest restoration team to prepare the ground, plant the seedlings and care for the trees until they mature around three to four years later. During that time, they will replace any seedlings that do not survive.

Forest restoration is vital to generating income in this region.

Collecting and growing seeds, planting and maintaining trees, and monitoring the newly planted sites all create opportunities for training and jobs.

1 Tree seedlings waiting to be

planted.

2 A trigger on the handle opens the

dibber, releasing the seedling into the ground.

3 Tree seedlings get fed into the tube

and down to the dibber.

4 A hose attached to a water tank

5 The dibber is pushed into the

ground and holds the seedling in place.

allows seedling to be watered after planting.

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you to everyone who has supported us over Be inspired Thank the past few months. We are so grateful to our fundraisers, members, volunteers and sponsors.

We hope some of the ways supporters are helping to save wildlife will also inspire you.

Remembering Robin Rumboll by Lee Durrell Robin Ernest Richard Rumboll, a true friend of Durrell, has passed away at age 84. He led a full and varied life, from policeman to politician, from businessman to benefactor. He served as a Deputy in the States of Jersey for 15 years, launched the first commercial radio station in Jersey and was Chairman of the charity Help a Jersey Child. He loved animals – his dogs, horses (he was President of Jersey Race Club for several years) and, of course, wild creatures. We at Durrell knew him best for his long service to the Trust, in roles he played with vigour, wisdom and charm for fifty years.

straighten out crossed wires, develop some strong conservation initiatives and ‘bond’ with our colleagues ‘across The Pond’. I also remember flying with him and his wife, Cynthia, and good friend, Joan Misplon (of the Harcroft Foundation) all over the west and northwest of Madagascar, surveying the dramatic landscapes and visiting our ploughshare tortoise breeding facility in Ampijoroa. We landed on several remote dirt airstrips on this journey, some peppered with termite mounds such that the little aeroplane had to take great care to avoid them. But Robin, Cynthia and Joan kept smiling and relished every minute.

Robin came onto the Council (as the Board was known then) in 1973. He was a chartered accountant, welcomed for his financial acumen, and soon became Honorary Treasurer, steering the Trust through some rocky times, including the death of our Founder, Gerald Durrell. In 1987 he was one of the founding members of the Trust’s wonderful local support group, Les Gardiens. He became Chairman of Council in 1997, serving until the early 2000s, after which he became President until 2009. He was instrumental in securing a significant donation from the Harcroft Foundation, which was earmarked for Durrell’s work in Mauritius and for the Durrell Conservation Academy. After his presidency, he became an Honorary Fellow, a position held until his passing.

Robin was best known to Durrell in recent years for having started the popular Rumboll Travel Award, a prize of about £2,000 given annually to a member of junior staff for a project to enhance their personal development and acquire new skills. Robin greatly enjoyed reading the applications, choosing a winner and then, the next year, attending the talk given by the recipient about their experience, which was usually rather adventurous!

From 2001 the Award has taken our staff around the world, from Thailand to Tahiti, from Samoa to Sumatra, to study the conservation of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, as well as work in education and filmmaking.

I cherish many memories of Robin and his positive, outgoing approach to life. As Chairman of Durrell, he went to many meetings with our sister trusts in the USA and Canada, often joined

by Jeremy Mallinson, John Hartley or myself. We all managed to

Robin’s long history of stellar service and his initiative and generosity in setting up the the Travel Award have had a huge impact on Durrell in so many ways, one that is unsurpassed by any other Trustee. We mourn his passing but remember his wonderful work and will forever be inspired by his dedication to Durrell.

Robin, Cynthia and Joan Misplon, northwest Madagascar, 2002. Photo Colin Stevenson

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You ran here, there and every-hare

Celebrating a new world record

On Sunday 14 May, over 350 runners took to the lanes of Jersey in the annual Durrell Challenge. Sponsored by Butterfield, the Challenge comprised of two tortoise-and-harethemed races; an exciting 13K and a family-friendly 2.6K. Participants were encouraged to dress up and run wild whilst raising funds for Durrell. We’d like to thank all runners and fundraisers for taking part, and for raising an amazing £9,000! We would also like to give a special thank you to David Demaine and Marlie Vennstra, who raised an incredible £1,100 and £640 by taking part in the Challenge. These vital funds will help to protect unique and vulnerable species across the world.

A round of ape-lause for Will Highfield, the Jersey Gorilla! Will is well-known for running marathons in a gorilla costume, and in March 2023, he broke the Guinness World Record for “Fastest half marathon dressed as a mammal (male)”. Running in his iconic 8kg gorilla costume, Will smashed the record in an impressive 1 hour, 47 minutes and 30 seconds. To date, he’s raised over £72,000 on behalf of the gorillas at the zoo and hopes to continue fundraising to hit his £100,000 goal.

You can support Will’s incredible efforts by donating to his JustGiving page at

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ will-highfield4

Tasty tortoise treats

Travellers, tortoises and tunes

Going the extra mile

One hundred mouthwatering, tort-ally delicious cupcakes were sold at Jersey Airport in aid of Durrell! Ports of Jersey recently took to the departure lounge to kindly raise funds for endangered reptiles and amphibians. Designed by Ceri’s Cakes, the sweet treats really took off, as delighted holidaymakers purchased one-of-a-kind cakes with Tortoise Takeover sculptures on them. Ports of Jersey has a fantastic partnership with Durrell, extending across several projects including Rewild Carbon and the Carbon Pass app, the Jersey Zoo shop in Departures, and being Presenting Partners of Tortoise Takeover alongside Blue Islands.

Taking inspiration from Durrell’s 2023 sculpture trail, Tortoise Takeover, Beth took fundraising to the next level. By dressing up as a tortoise and singing her heart out in Jersey Airport’s Departures, she kindly raised funds to help build a new reptile and amphibian house at Jersey Zoo. We’d like to thank Beth for her shell-fless karaoke, which will support some of the world’s most threatened reptiles and amphibians.

You are never too young to be a Zoo Hero!

Five-year-old Xavi decided he would raise funds for Durrell by running two kilometres a day throughout June. Young Xavi was determined to complete his goal, not letting the hot summer temperatures hold him back. In the heat, he walked the two kilometres whilst also collecting rubbish along the way. Accomplishing his ambitious quest, Xavi raised an amazing £440! Thank you so much Xavi!

If you’d like to sing her praises and support Tortoise Takeover, you can donate at

www.justgiving.com/campaign/ tortoisetakeover

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Tortoise Takeover

This summer, Jersey was taken over by tortoises! 50 giant and 65 young tortoise sculptures formed the Channel Islands’ largest and most spectacular art trail.

In partnership with Wild In Art, the free, selfguided trail was on display for nearly nine weeks over the summer, aiming to take people on a journey of discovery whilst connecting them to art and nature. The giant tortoise designs ranged from playful and whimsical to interactive and educational, created by artists both well-known and yet to be discovered from Great Britain and further afield.

Alongside the main trail was a young tortoise trail featuring 65 smaller tortoise sculptures beautifully decorated by local schools and community groups. Displayed in shop windows, the young tortoises celebrated Jersey’s creativity and brought together the community for Tortoise Takeover.

For those wanting to find all of them, an official Tortoise Takeover app allowed everyone to interact with the trail by unlocking sculptures and collecting rewards. The app saw almost 11,000 users, and 662,744 sculpture unlocks, surpassing the total figures achieved by Durrell’s previous art trail, Go Wild Gorillas, in just two weeks!

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This summer, Jersey was taken over by tortoises! 50 giant and 65 young tortoise sculptures formed the Channel Islands’ largest and most spectacular art trail.

In partnership with Wild In Art, the free, self-guided trail was on display for nearly nine weeks over the summer, aiming to take people on a journey of discovery whilst connecting them to art and nature.

The giant tortoise designs ranged from playful and whimsical to interactive and educational, created by artists both wellknown and yet to be discovered from Great Britain and further afield.

Alongside the main trail was a young tortoise trail featuring 65 smaller tortoise sculptures beautifully decorated by local schools and community groups. Displayed in shop windows, the young tortoises celebrated Jersey’s creativity and brought together the community for Tortoise Takeover.

For those wanting to find all of them, an official Tortoise Takeover app allowed everyone to interact with the trail by unlocking sculptures and collecting rewards. The app saw almost 11,000 users, and 662,744 sculpture unlocks, surpassing the total figures achieved by Durrell’s previous art trail, Go Wild Gorillas, in just two weeks!

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Tortoise Takeover

A royal tortoise Durrell gifted HRH The Princess Royal a Tortoise Takeover sculpture to celebrate 50 years of patronage.

Inspired by Her Royal Highness, “Sanctuary” by Jersey artist Gabriella Street features colour swatches pulled from photographs of HRH’s past and present fashion, alongside wildlife specific to Durrell projects.

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Tortoise Takeover

Hare, there and everywhere!

A surprise sculpture that joined the 50 giant tortoises, “Love To Run”, was painted by renowned Jersey artist Nick Romeril. Each week, the hare hopped to a new location, visiting various tortoises around the island.

Going, going, gone!

Ambassadors for Durrell’s reptile conservation work across the globe, the tortoise sculptures helped to raise vital funds for a new Reptile and Amphibian House at Jersey Zoo. At the end of September, the giant tortoises, three young tortoises, and the hare sculpture went under the hammer at the muchanticipated auction with celebrity auctioneer Charles Hanson, raising an incredible £720,500!

A huge thank you to the many businesses and organisations who have supported Tortoise Takeover and helped to make it possible; the talented artists who brought the tortoises to life; the schools, teachers, community groups and charities who got involved and encouraged the community to take part; those who bought a sculpture at auction and everyone who purchased our merchandise or made donations. The incredible ‘summer of tortoises’ wouldn’t have been possible without your support.

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ENA B L I N G C H A N G E IN N UMBERS Between 2018 and 2022, the Enabling Change project has…

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HA S I N C R EA SE D Y I EL D S F OR C A SH CR O P S L I K E POTAT O A N D O N IO N BY 80%

FA R M ER S I N V OLV ED I N FA R M ER F I EL D SCH O O L S HAV E A L SO R EPOR T ED A 100% R ED UC T I O N IN C HEM I C A L PEST I C I D E A N D F ER T I L I Z ER U S E

ENAB L ED OV ER 3, 820 WOMEN T O HAV E A C C ESS TO FA M I LY PL A N N I N G SERV I C ES, W HER E PREV IOUSLY N ON E EXI ST ED

T R A I N ED 429 PEOP L E O N GOOD GOV ER N A N CE

Would you consider a gift in your will to Durrell?

To discuss how you could make a meaningful difference to the survival of species and the planet we share with them please get in touch.

Our Legacy Manager, Judith, will be pleased to provide any information or assistance you need. Please telephone Judith +44 (0)1534 860065, email her at legacies@durrell.org or write to her at Les Augrès Manor, La Profonde Rue, Trinity, Jersey JE3 5BP.

There is no first world and third world. There is only one world, for all of us to live and delight in GERALD DURRELL

Is time running out for these rare reptiles?

From Greek mythology to Aesop’s Fables, for centuries tortoises have been part of storytelling across the globe.

Sadly, chelonians, which includes tortoises, turtles and terrapins, are now one of the most threatened vertebrate groups on Earth and need our help more than ever.

Durrell has a long history of working with tortoises and other chelonians. These amazing reptiles are important actors in their ecosystems. Losing them would have catastrophic consequences on many other species.

DO NAT E N O W D URRE L L . O R G / H O P E F O R TO R TO I S E S

TORTOISES NEED YOUR HELP Durrell’s ‘intensive care’ approach to conservation gives hope for species on the brink. We work with local communities to protect these rare reptiles and recover their severely depleted habitats.h.

Ploughshare tortoise

With less than 100 left in the wild, this is probably the world’s rarest tortoise. Their unique golden-domed shell makes them highly prized by the illegal wildlife trade, which has pushed them to the edge of extinction.

To keep the precious captive and wild populations safe, we must continue our intensive training of patrollers, law enforcement agencies, and prosecutors to protect them from poachers.

Aldabra giant tortoise

These gentle giants are incredible ecosystem engineers. On Round Island in Mauritius, they have been introduced to replace extinct giant tortoises as grazers and seed dispersers.

Since their introduction in 2007, many plant and reptile species have started to thrive again, demonstrating the vital role tortoises play in restoring healthy and diverse ecosystems.

Madagascar big-headed turtle

The ‘rere’, as it is known locally, is the largest freshwater turtle in Madagascar. This species has suffered catastrophic population declines caused by hunting, habitat loss and climate change.

Durrell’s breeding programme and nest protection is vital to give this species a future. We also work with local people to find alternative food sources and sustainable farming practices in the rere’s precious wetland home.

With your support, Durrell’s dedicated team can continue to protect these precious species and give them a chance to thrive again

£50 could contribute to the cost of weighing scales for monitoring Aldabra tortoises on Round

A gift from you today supports front-line conservation and prevents precious species and habitats from being lost forever.

£120 could buy equipment for a patroller to protect rere turtles and ploughshare tortoises in

DONATE NOW

www.durrell.org/ hopefortortoises or call 01534 860111

Island

Madagascar

£250 could help reintroduce extinct plant species on Round Island to provide vital grazing for Aldabra tortoises

£500 could contribute to the veterinary care for reres and ploughshares at Durrell’s breeding centre in Madagascar

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