Wild Life 2021 issue 1

WILD L IFE

2021 ISSUE 1

DU RRE L L W I L DL I F E C AMP

Stay in five star luxury…

…surrounded by some of the rarest animals on the planet.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Call us on +44 (0)1534 860097 or visit www.durrell.org/camp

W E LC OME T O W I L D L I F E Welcome to Wild Life and the news that shows what an amazing organisation Durrell is as we pursue our mission to save species and ensure a wilder, healthier and more colourful world. We do this in so many different ways.

One major endeavour with meaningful impact is “Rewild Carbon”. This is our new carbon offsetting programme that offers companies the opportunity to balance their carbon footprint by supporting our conservation work in the Atlantic Forest in Brazil.

Our project to re-establish the red-billed chough in Jersey after its disappearance more than a hundred years ago has been encouraged by the news that one of the Jersey-bred choughs appeared in France. Could this be the beginning of a natural recolonisation of the species’ former range?

At the zoo, there has been breeding success of the reptiles we rescued from the offshore islands of Mauritius that were endangered by an oil spill. The zoo welcomed the arrival of a pair of bush dogs, a fascinating but threatened species from Central and South America, which Gerry and I met decades ago at the National Zoo in Washington DC.

There is a colourful feature on the extraordinary animals of the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, much loved by our Head of Mammals, Dom Wormell, who you can read about on page 14. This brings me to the sad announcement of the passing of our Director Emeritus, Jeremy Mallinson, who retired in 2003 after more than 40 years of dedicated service to the Trust. Jeremy’s devotion to the lion tamarins of the Atlantic Forest was legendary, as were his efforts to save them.

D R LEE D UR R E LL HONORARY D I RE CT O R

I must mention the recent passing of yet another person who has a place in the annals of the Trust. Sharon Matola modelled her famous zoo in Belize on Jersey Zoo and, like Jeremy, was inspired by Gerald Durrell to develop her zoo into a force for conservation.

Both Jeremy and Sharon left enormous legacies by virtue of their significant influence on conservation ideas and actions, which will be continued and improved upon by their colleagues and followers for many years to come. The wish to help meet the conservation needs of the future is something that many Durrell supporters have expressed, especially in view of the uncertainties associated with the pandemic. This is why we are launching an earnest legacy appeal in this issue of Wild Life.

Please read the enclosed flyer and let us know your thoughts!

CO N TEN TS 2

M A K I N G C H A N G E S T O S AVE T H E P L ANET

4

AT THE Z OO

6

I N THE W I L D

8

I N F OC US

10

S PEC I E S SP O T L IG H T – B U S H DO G S

13

FA R EW E L L , ‘J U S T J E R E M Y’

14

M E ET THE T E A M – DO M IN IC W O R M E L L

15

D OD O D I SPAT CH – W H E R E DO W E W O RK ?

19

R E USE R E CYCL E R E W IL D – O U R N E W CHAR I T Y SHOP

22

TEC H C OR N E R – B L O O D A N A LYS IS

24

Y OUR FA M I LY A N D O T H E R A N IM A L S

26

B E I N SPI R E D

28

GR A D UAT E F O CU S – G A B R IE L A R E Z E NDE

30

W I L D SN A P

32

I N N UM B E R S – R E W IL D CA R B O N

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.

If your household has received more than one copy of Wild Life and you would like to discuss your mailing preferences going forward, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of our Supporter Care team on supportercare@durrell.org or (0)1534 860111 If you’d like to hear from us regularly subscribe to our email newsletter at www.durrell.org/social D U RRE L L W IL D L IF E CON S E RVAT ION T RU S T Les Augres Manor, La Profonde Rue, Trinity, Jersey, JE3 5BP, Channel Islands

@ D U RR E LLW I LD LI F E @DURRELL_JERSEYZOO Wild Life is printed on paper which is certified FSC® Mix Grade with fibre coming from responsible sources and can be fully recycled. Your copy of the magazine is sent to you in a fully compostable wrap.

D U R R E L L WILDLIF E CO N 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 HONORA 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 NUMBE R 6448493 R E G I S TE R ED OF F ICE c/o Intertrust Corporate Services (UK) Limited, 35 Great St Helen’s, London EC3A 6AP P H O TO A N D ILLUST RAT IO N CR ED ITS Aardman Animations, Pratiksha Bappoo, Will Bertram, Emma Caton, Tasha Chattiyerkama, Dr Nik Cole, Liz Corry, Rachel Cowen, Roland Digby, Emily Garner, Katie Garrett, Gregory Guida, Andrew Heaver, Rachel Hughes, Saphira Hunt, Tiffany Lang, Ian Osborne, Nina Powell, Floriot Randrianarimangason, Kimberly Ransom, Colin Stevenson C O V E R I MA G E Black lion tamarin by Rachel Hughes HEL L O Anne Brown, I hope this issue of Wild Life finds you well.

ISSU E 1 • 2021 W ILD LIFE

1

M AK I N G C HA N G E S T O S AVE T HE P L ANE T DR LESLEY DICKIE C HIEF EXEC UTIV E OFFICER

Emerging ,we hope, from the largest pandemic in 100 years, we are faced with a decision of how to approach our future. We are looking at what happened and why, and we are totting up the damage of COVID-19. The loss of life, the disruption of our work and home lives, the enormous cost of tackling the pandemic, the long-term economic consequences for acting too slowly or failing to act at all. Yet, the discourse seems to be changing from ‘how do we reduce the risk that this happens again?’ to ‘we must be ready for the next one and able to mitigate its impact’. This shouldn’t be either-or. It needs to be both, and far better to put in place a response that reduces the risk we face than wait for it to happen again. For it will if we continue on the path we are on now.

To the scientific community, it was crystal clear for some time that pandemic risk was increasing, that a One Health model (planet/people/animals) would be key to our ability to thrive, and that there had been near misses in the 21st century already.

The evidence was already there and available to governments worldwide that our activity as humans was placing us in a dangerous position. We already knew that the illegal wildlife trade could lead to new viruses jumping from animals to humans, resulting in new infectious diseases. We already knew that climate change was altering disease dynamics. We already knew that deforestation was

2

W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

leading to increased contact between people and wild animals, increasing the likelihood of disease transmission. I hope that in the last year, we now all understand how this risk is manifesting itself.

From the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, we learned that as forests are destroyed, animals left in smaller and smaller fragments suffer stress, leading to compromised immune systems and are therefore more likely to shed viruses. From Southeast Asia, we see that the removal of vibrant rainforest to be replaced with vast swathes of monoculture plantation, particularly palm oil, leads to an increased risk of pandemics. More and more research is emerging that biodiversity loss and climate change are the drivers of pandemic risk.

We hear much about ‘building back better’, green recoveries and so on. There is also increasing dialogue about the role of the public in changing our behaviours. We know that individual actions can make a difference. However, it is clear that we need large scale societal change led by governments and corporations, including a huge responsibility from the finance sector and therefore particularly relevant to Jersey.

In the summer of 2019, what we can look back on as an unscarred, carefree time, I stood in the bat house at Jersey Zoo and had a long conversation with a British MP about what needed to happen

if we were truly to protect life on Earth. Although there is much debate about what to do at the detail level, we already know the answer, and it is simple – protect nature. I pressed him on the need for the governments of the world to set in place legal frameworks and policies that would make a real difference. It would mean changing the current economic model of chasing growth as an end goal to one of chasing a circular, sustainable model that places importance on our ability to live an equitable, healthy life and protect our planet. We should remember that the societal, economic model we currently use didn’t arise spontaneously, it is one we designed. It means we can design another, and we should because our lives depend upon it.

He very plainly told me that he would not advocate for the kind of changes needed as it would be ‘unpalatable’ to the public and difficult for him in terms of election cycles as it might make him unpopular with the electorate. I really want to ask him now, how ‘unpalatable’ has what we have just experienced been? Does he want this to happen again, but next time with a more infectious, more fatal disease?

Perhaps the reluctance comes from the reality that a significant change may lead to corporations currently making huge profits and individuals accumulating vast wealth having to accept responsibility. To accept this means accepting mitigation costs for the destruction they cause instead of passing on the buck to the public by suggesting we recycle more. It is incredibly hard for the public to be able to fully understand the supply chains that result in loss of nature, and neither do they have control of those supply chains. Structural change is required. The biggest and often repeated lie of the pandemic is that we have all been in this together.

No. No, we have not.

Some have made an awful lot of money out of this misery. On an individual level, it is very different to be able to work from home, rather than the front lines, from a large house with a garden, rather than a cramped studio flat. There is also a huge difference from country to country, not least the unequal access to vaccines globally. We are definitely not ‘all in this together’.

Fast forward to early 2021, and the Dasgupta Review on the Economics of Biodiversity is published. It calls for a fundamental change in how we economically think about nature. Natural capital, the world’s stock of natural resources, is being diminished at an

alarming rate, declining by 40% between 1992 and 2014. This natural capital completely underpins all human life and economic activity. If we continue to erode our natural capital and the system changes this sets in train, then ultimately system-level collapse becomes a real possibility within our lifetimes.

Dasgupta suggests that instead of GDP (gross domestic product) and the like, we transition to ‘inclusive wealth’ as a measure of success. This assesses human wellbeing and if it is being sustained by looking at natural capital, human capital, and produced capital combined, with a view that natural capital not only has to be protected but increased. Our current GDP-based system incentivises the destruction of nature and is propped up by banks and other financial bodies subsidising and loaning to destructive industries. This huge issue is described in a 2020 report called ‘Bankrolling Extinction’. Dasgupta calls for new accounting systems to be developed that measure biodiversity and climate as part of company and country balance sheets.

The review is not without controversy as it talks of nature only in economic terms, and of course, we know it is far more than this. Nature’s spiritual and cultural value, as well as its fundamental role in supporting life, should sit parallel to any discussion of extrinsic worth because, of course, if we truly valued its intrinsic worth would we be in the situation we are now?

And so, we turn to government and corporations, those who have the power to change lives, who actively hold the future of the planet in the balance.

We are seeing some encouraging signs from the financial sector that change is coming. Whether that is because they see ESG (environmental, social and governance) funds as the next big thing to drive business and growth (the same old issue) or a true values-led change that we cannot keep doing what we are doing now. We can now see which banks are the most destructive. Some are household names, so perhaps in taking back a little control, we, the public, change where we keep our money if banks continue to lend it to nature destructive practices.

Our role as the public is to understand the consequences of the current system, speak up against inequity across our societies, and actively support political leaders advocating for circular and sustainable economies. Let’s take a long hard look over the next few years to see if real change emerges and use our votes and our wallets to drive those changes where we can.

ISSU E 1 • 2021 W ILD LIFE

3

NEWS

AT THE Z OO

GO GREEN TO VISIT T HE ZOO

PIGGYBACK TIME FOR AMARI Our one-year-old gorilla, Amari, is growing up so fast! She is still feeding off mum, Bahasha, but she also receives her own food from the keepers. She loves any fruit she is given and particularly loves tomatoes. Amari is also starting to copy her mum and forage when outdoors. She has even been seen climbing onto mum’s head to reach some of the bigger branches. Amari is still travelling mainly by clinging onto mum’s chest or arm, but we expect to see her piggybacking on mum more and more as she becomes more confident!

Living more sustainably comes in many different forms, whether that’s minimising food waste, recycling paper and cardboard, or turning down the temperature on our thermostats. But did you know that nearly a third of all carbon emissions in Jersey come from road transport?

When visiting Jersey Zoo, there are many ways to make the journey as sustainable as possible. Relax and enjoy the scenery on the way, the zoo is well served by not just one but three different bus routes!

If you are feeling more energetic, how about cycling to the zoo? We have bike racks situated in the car park where you can secure your wheels while you enjoy that well-earned slice of cake at Café Firefly. Or, if you prefer a more leisurely ride, you can hire an e-bike via EVie. Think about the best way for you, your friends, and your family to travel to the zoo for your next visit to see the wonderful animals that depend on us to make a change.

FAREWELL GABRIEL

BIR THDAY CELEBRATIONS FOR BABY AYE-AYE Our hand-reared aye-aye, Mifaly, turned one in May. The keepers have done a fantastic job hand rearing Mifaly following concerns that mum Zanvie was not caring for her properly.

Mifaly weighed a mere 65g when she was born, making her one of the smallest aye-ayes on record. Now she is over 1.5kg! She is still being fed a small amount of milk by the keepers, as parent-reared infants can suckle until around 18 months old. She is being gradually mixed with her dad, Pan, and they have already shared some lovely moments together. The pair has been seen grooming each other, play wrestling, and playing games of ‘tag’. Her keeper ‘mums’ all got very emotional when Mifaly and Pan were mixed for the first time and started to play together.

4

W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

The Durrell team were sad to say goodbye to Gabriel, the last Saint Lucia parrot at Jersey Zoo, who passed away at the incredible age of 45. Gabriel was brought to Jersey from Saint Lucia as a chick in 1976 when wild populations of these parrots had plummeted to just 100 individuals. Conservationists from Durrell helped establish a breeding programme to prevent these colourful birds from becoming lost forever. The work to save the Saint Lucia parrot is one of Durrell’s longest and most successful projects. The captive breeding programme in Jersey ended in 2010 as the wild population had considerably recovered.

NEWS

HOPE FOR RARE MAURITIAN REPTILES Last year, three species of endangered reptiles were rescued from islands affected by the oil spill off the coast of Mauritius and brought to Jersey Zoo to form a breeding programme. The reptiles – the lesser night gecko, Bojer’s skink, and Bouton’s skink – have been under the expert care of leading herpetologists based at the zoo. Two species have never been held in captivity before, so the team has had to pool their knowledge and years of experience caring for other reptiles to ensure these populations survive. The keepers are delighted that the animals have already been breeding successfully and the bio-secure facility at the zoo has been expanded to accommodate the rapid growth of the populations. The team is doing a fantastic job in ensuring these Mauritian reptiles don’t go the same way as the dodo!

Bojer’s skink

Lesser night gecko

ISSU E 2 1 • 2020 2021 W ILD LIFE

5

NEWS

I N TH E W I L D

BON VOYAGE! One of Jersey’s wild-bred red-billed choughs has spread its wings in search of new shores. This is the first-ever confirmed sighting of a Jersey chough outside of the island and the bird was discovered in Normandy, France.

COVI D DEL AYS R OUND ISL AND FIELD STATION In March 2020, plans to build a new field station and quarantine area on Round Island in Mauritius were brought to a halt. The outbreak of COVID-19 meant that staff had to be evacuated from the island, not returning until June. However, restarting the work faced new issues due to in-country budget cuts from the COVID crisis. Despite the cost implications, the Government of Mauritius remained committed and secured the funds to continue from December.

Four tonnes of additional items were purchased, and all materials were successfully transferred to Round Island in February this year. Finally, after 12 months of delays, the construction work could restart. However, on 10th March, the country re-issued a strict lockdown. The wardens brought back some rare plants from the island’s nursery so they could be cared for. When they can return, the team will dismantle the current field station and recycle the materials by building new benches, bunks, cupboards, shelves, and tables. It is hoped that the building work on the new field station will be completed

by December 2021.

T O P T O BO T TO M Organising building materials for shipping to Round Island, the new office and quarantine room start to take shape, staff evacuating from Round Island

MILESTONE FOR RARE DUCKS

FLOREANA AVIARY EXPANSION

The Madagascar pochard studbook list has reached 200 birds! The studbook is the official record of each animal that requires management and/or contributes to the breeding programme. More than 200 pochards have now been included in these official records since the programme began. Studbooks carefully manage the breeding of control populations by preventing inbreeding and ensuring a healthy animal population.

Our Floreana Mitigation Officer, Roland Digby, returned to Floreana Island in the Galapagos in November 2020 after many months of being unable to return from the UK due to the pandemic. Since then, he has been overseeing the extensions to the lowland and highland aviaries. These aviaries will enable sufficient numbers of Darwin’s finches to be held during the removal of rats from the island, which is now scheduled to take place in 2023.

The Madagascar pochard was once thought to be extinct but was rediscovered in 2006. A captive breeding and reintroduction programme is now restoring this species. In 2018, the team began introducing the captive-bred pochards onto Lake Sofia in northern Madagascar.

Choughs were once a common sight in the Channel Islands but became extinct in Jersey around 1900. The Durrell team are reintroducing the species as part of Birds on the Edge, a local partnership aiming to restore Jersey’s coastal wildlife. Between 2013 and 2018, captive-bred choughs were released onto the island’s north coast. Now, almost half of Jersey’s current chough population have hatched in the wild.

Roland has also been carrying out post-release monitoring of the finches held during the captive trials. These trials took place from December 2018 to November 2019 and ensured the team were confident in caring for the species in captivity before the eradication begins. Roland also conducted surveys of Floreana’s native lava lizards and leaf-toed geckos to assess the impact of the eradication and removal of invasive mammalian predators on their populations. This project is a partnership between Durrell, Island Conservation, Galapagos National Parks and Galapagos Conservation Trust.

LEFT TO R I G HT Baur’s leaf-toed gecko The highland aviary extension

6

W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

A GLIMPSE AT A RARE SNAKE The team in Saint Lucia were left triumphant in March when they discovered and successfully captured a critically endangered Saint Lucia racer on the offshore island of Maria Major. This is the first seen on the island since February 2020 and is only the second sighting since 2017. This racer sighting is proof that the species is still breeding, which is a good sign in the efforts to save this species from extinction.

The Saint Lucia racer is considered the most threatened snake species in the world. They have a population of less than 50 individuals and are restricted to Maria Major – an arid 9.4-hectare islet off the Southeast coast of Saint Lucia. The Durrell team are working with local partners to restore the species by setting up a captive breeding centre on the mainland.

ISSU E 2 1 • 2020 2021 W ILD LIFE

7

IN FOCUS

PAL AWAN PEACOCK-PHEASANT One of the beautiful residents of Jersey Zoo’s Jewels of the Forest aviary, which showcases birds from South Asia.

8

W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

IN FOCUS

ISSU E 1 • 2021 W ILD LIFE

9

species spotlight

B USH D OG S Jersey Zoo has recently welcomed two new residents – a pair of playful bush dogs called Jessica and Tiago.

Visitors to the zoo will be greeted by the canine couple residing in the Cloud Forest Exhibit alongside the Andean bears and howler monkeys. Senior Mammal Keeper, Leila Boyd, tells us all about how these wonderful new additions have been settling into their new home.

Q&A with Leila

Tell us about Jessica and Tiago.

The bush dogs arrived at the zoo in November. Jessica came from Knowsley Safari Park in the UK, and Tiago arrived from Safari de Peaugres in France. They spent some time getting to know each other behind the scenes before eventually being moved to our Cloud Forest enclosure in December. This is the first time we have kept bush dogs at Jersey Zoo. We are so excited for our visitors to enjoy watching and learning about these fascinating animals.

How have they settled in?

They are starting to find their feet and are beginning to spend much more time outdoors. Now that the weather is nicer, they have even started to swim! Bush dogs are also known as water dogs because they are fantastic swimmers. They have these incredible webbed feet, which makes them really good at doggy paddling!

Are they sharing their enclosure with other animals?

The Cloud Forest enclosure is where the Andean bears and howler monkeys also live. The plan is to eventually have a mixed exhibit with all three species. The Cloud Forest is home to animals from South and Central America, so that’s why we thought the bush dogs would be a great addition and would create some similarities to how they might live in the wild. We have let the bush dogs settle in nice and slowly on their own first and are gradually introducing them to the howler monkeys and Andean bears.

What do they enjoy doing?

The bush dogs have lots of enrichment items to play with, which keeps them entertained throughout the day. Male bush dogs like to pick things up and take them to the nest.

They’re very attentive to the females, so anything that we put in the enclosure, such as fire hose and Kongs, Tiago loves to pick them up and carry them around. Scattering their bedding everywhere also seems to keep them occupied for hours as they like to make their own beds.

They also do a great job entertaining themselves, and they have such a fantastic outdoor area that they sometimes just spend all day outside.

Are we hoping to have more bush dogs in the future?

In the wild, bush dog groups typically comprise an alpha male and an alpha female, and the pups would become the subordinates. We would love to eventually see Jessica and Tiago becoming the alphas of their own group. They are inseparable and very playful together, so hopefully, one day soon, there will be the pitter-patter of tiny bush dog paws!

10

W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

Fact file

SC I EN T I F I C N A M E Speothos venaticus DI ST R I B U T I ON Central and South America H A B I TAT Close to water sources, in forests and wet savanna.

DI ET Carnivorous – their typical prey in the wild includes small mammals, birds, and reptiles.

I U C N STAT U S Near Threatened The species is under threat primarily due to habitat loss and fragmentation and a reduction in prey due to illegal hunting and predation by domestic dogs. The pair at Jersey Zoo will form part of the captive breeding programme to safeguard the species in the wild.

DI D Y OU K N OW Bush dogs are also known as ‘vinegar dogs’ because groups can produce a pungent smell similar to that of vinegar when scent marking their territories.

ISSU E 1 • 2021 W ILD LIFE

11

Farewell, ‘Just Jeremy’ L E E D URRELL HON O R A RY DIRECTOR

I

t is hard to say goodbye to Jeremy Mallinson, a legend in his lifetime as Director of Jersey Zoo, right-hand man to Gerald Durrell, inspirational leader to conservationists young and old, beloved colleague and a true gentleman. Jeremy was best man at my wedding to Gerry 41 years ago and remained one of my closest friends. With his passing at age 83 on 2nd February 2021, the world is a poorer place.

There are so many things to say about this extraordinary man. I shall let him speak for himself through the many phrases he used, which became familiar and endearing to his staff and friends.

‘Work is much more fun than fun’, a Noel Coward quote that Jeremy kept on a sign on his desk, probably best describes Jeremy’s career. He was utterly devoted to his job at Jersey Zoo, more a vocation than a job. It began in 1959, the year we opened, when he was taken on as a ‘temporary’ keeper and ended with his retirement in 2001. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming Zoological Director of the zoo and the Trust in 1972 and Director in 1995.

Jeremy was a traditional zoo director, doing his rounds every morning without fail, popping in on animal and office staff alike, who said they could set their watches by his arrival. He said he liked to ‘keep his finger on the pulse’.

He was a hands-on animal man, having a remarkable rapport with many of the animals in the early days, from the cheetahs, Peter and Paula to the gorillas, N’Pongo and Nandi. I remember walking around the zoo with him on Christmas Day, the only time the zoo was ever closed, taking titbits to the animals as ‘presents’, and Jeremy would speak gently to each creature in turn.

Another favourite phrase was ‘to lead by example’. Even after he became Zoological Director, he would pitch in with the cleaning, feeding, catch-ups, maintenance and other tasks at the zoo, but invariably wearing a collar and tie!

Apart from daily life at the zoo, Jeremy found fun in his active contribution to various zoo and conservation bodies around the world. He was a highly valued participant, described by the venerable Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) as “a master diplomat who could facilitate conversations about the trickiest of subjects.” It was this approach that led Jeremy to become a pivotal figure in the management of great apes in British and Irish zoos and in the conservation of the tamarins of Brazil.

Yet another aspect of Jeremy’s work that he loved doing was the science of conservation. His phrase ‘good decisions are based on good science’ resounded frequently around the zoo. He authored hundreds of articles for scholarly and popular publications, many of which appeared in the Trust’s in-house scientific journal, of which he was also the editor.

The Dodo published the work of Trust staff at the zoo and around the world, and Jeremy ensured it was circulated to hundreds of zoos and conservation organisations.

Another favourite phrase was ‘to sow the seeds of awareness’. Jeremy was a master at this, as revealed in the tribute from a group of our Conservation Academy

12

W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

graduates from India: “We have gained much from his wide-ranging insights and experience, and he has mentored many Indian trainees personally and professionally over the years…”

Jeremy was once described as a ‘quiet academic gentleman’, much to his and Gerry’s amusement. But he could be stubborn when he needed to be; one shining example concerning the construction of the gorilla enclosure at Jersey Zoo in 1980. A section of the huge wall detached itself after a period of heavy rain, lurching dangerously inward. Jeremy held firm to the view that the builders were responsible, and finally, their insurers paid in full to put it right.

He often said he was a ‘disciple of Gerald Durrell’. Indeed, he was, with his unshakable belief in the value of captive breeding for conservation. But he was more than a disciple – he was a pioneer in turning Gerry’s vision into practical actions. He developed the detailed animal record-keeping system for Jersey Zoo, used until standardised international systems were established in the 1970s; he insisted that the animals of endangered species held in zoos should legally belong, not to the zoos, but to the governments of their countries of origin; he urged zoos to collaborate, not compete, on conservation actions. He believed that conservation efforts should be ‘multifaceted’ and ‘crosspollinated’, i.e., apply the appropriate knowledge and best techniques from all disciplines.

Jeremy himself was ‘multifaceted’. He was a music lover, a writer of fiction and non-fiction, a world traveller and a bon viveur with a grand sense of humour and adventure.

As a schoolboy, he once placed a chamber pot atop the Deanery flagpole at his college in Canterbury; as a zoo director, he would play April Fool’s jokes on his staff.

Jeremy was the recipient of numerous honours, including the OBE in 1997 for services to conservation. Most recently, he received the Ulysses S Seal Award for Innovation in Conservation, which meant a lot to him, as he knew Ulie Seal well and worked with him on the CPSG for 40 years.

In spite of the many plaudits, Jeremy was unassuming and unpretentious. From one of his staff: “His polite, gentlemanly manner just seemed to add to his status... people listened to him. He was also a humble man… always approachable and hugely popular. I certainly never heard anyone say a bad word about him!”

His diffidence was demonstrated each time he visited the flat where Gerry and I lived at the zoo. Invariably you would hear a soft knock on the door and then a voice calling out ‘Just Jeremy’. Gerry fondly described his right-hand man in a book chapter entitled ‘Just Jeremy’, which so impressed one Indian schoolboy that he would shout ‘Just Jeremy’ before entering his family home in Kolkata. He eventually attended our Conservation Academy and was able to meet his hero.

His recent tribute speaks of the “impeccable courtesy of this very fine gentleman… One of the nicest people I have ever been privileged to meet and one of the animal kingdom’s great champions.”

So many of our extended Durrell family will miss ‘Just Jeremy’ immensely.

ANTI -C LO C K WI SE FR OM TOP LEFT Jeremy with a cheetah at Jersey Zoo c. 1960, Jeremy with the Gerald Durrell statue at Jersey Zoo, Jeremy with Ian Singelton and a young Sumatran orangutan at the zoo, Lee Durrell and Jeremy, Jeremy feeding a western lowland gorilla at Jersey Zoo, Jeremy receving the ZSL Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Zoo Community from Sir Patrick Bateson.

ISSU E 1 • 2021 W ILD LIFE

13

MEET THE TEAM

Dominic Wormell joined Jersey Zoo as a keeper in 1989 and is now Head of Mammals with a particular passion for South American monkeys.

Dom shares with us some insights into his work, both at Jersey Zoo and further afield in Brazil.

What sparked your passion for wildlife?

I used to visit my uncle in Scotland – he would take me out in his boat counting seals, and occasionally we’d come across huge basking sharks. He started restoring large areas of the Caledonian pine forests, which made a huge impression on me. I remember thinking, what a fantastic way to earn a living! So, in 1988 when I saw a course on endangered species conservation at Jersey Zoo advertised, I applied. The course was totally inspiring. It opened my mind to what was going on in the wider world. It made me realise that zoos are incredibly important to species survival and were going to be even more vital in the future. Eight months later, I was offered a job as a keeper, perhaps because of the runs I scored for the zoo cricket team while on the course!

Tell us about your work in South America. Jersey Zoo’s history of working with marmosets goes back some 50 years. They were a great passion of the late Jeremy Mallinson, who was part of Durrell for more than four decades.

European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). More recently, we have focused on Brazilian species and running workshops to help local conservationists build up their own assurance populations of black lion tamarins and pied tamarins.

My first trip to South America was to Bolivia in 1991 to look for Goeldi’s monkeys, a species that we held in Jersey at the time. Since then, I have been travelling to South America regularly. We have been working with the rare Colombian white-handed tamarin and running workshops with local conservationists and zoo staff, as well as setting up the international conservation programme for the species with the

What is your favourite South American species to work with? The black lion tamarin and pied tamarin would have to be my joint favourites. The black lion tamarin is a magnificent-looking monkey with an ear-piercing long call. These little monkeys are laid back, and the infants have a striking colouring that makes them look like they have golden shorts.

The pied tamarin is a different animal altogether; they look at you with disdain if your gaze lingers on them. If ever there was a tamarin that had a larger-thanlife personality, it is the pied tamarin, but they are all individuals and quite different once you get to know them.

What have been some of your career highlights so far? A pinnacle moment was the first-ever release of a black lion tamarin into the forests of São Paulo, Brazil. It was amazing to watch Marco, a male who was bred at Jersey Zoo, running and climbing with two wild females. His time growing up in our little forest training school really helped him fly through the trees like a wild tamarin.

I am also proud of my involvement with pied tamarins. These diminutive primates with real attitude proved very hard to look after, and we had to reorganise our management to make it work.

Just catching their eye while cleaning would often result in a whirlwind rearranging of your hair as they expressed their disapproval at your presence. This gradually calmed down as we got to know them better, and we started to have breeding success.

Eventually, we were able to export some Jersey-born tamarins to Europe and America to secure the population in captivity.

14

W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

What are your hopes for the future in the region? One of the things we desperately need to see in Brazil is a change of government. The present regime has been waging war on nature. During the pandemic, they’ve stripped away environmental protection laws, and the recent fires across the Amazon and Pantanal regions have been started by those who want to expand large scale agricultural practice.

T O P Dom with a black lion tamarin at Jersey Zoo BOT T O M A young Dom with silvery marmosets

Despite the bleak political landscape, I am optimistic about the black lion tamarin work and the huge reforestation project. One tree corridor connecting the black lion tamarin’s main stronghold with other forest patches has already been planted. We are helping to fund a second corridor, which will be a lifeline for black lion tamarins in other isolated fragments of forest. As a result, we hope to increase the number of black lion tamarins in the wild – an extremely exciting prospect indeed.

DisOpatDchO d

where DO we

WORK?

Durrell works all over the world in many special and unique places. Each of these places have plants and wildlife that have adapted especially to live there.

We call these communities of plants and wildlife, biomes.

There are five major types, though some can be split up…

AQUATIC fresh and saltwater GRAS SL ANDS temperate and tropical FORESTS woodland and rainforest DESER TS dry, hot, but sometimes cold TUNDRA cold, very cold

Durrell works in a rainforest in Brazil called the Mata Atlântica or Atlantic Forest.

The Mata Atlântica used to be big, really big, really really big. It stretched more than 1,000,000km2 across Brazil but over time farming and other human activities have shrunk it down to about 70,000km2. That’s sadly over 90% of the forest gone.

Durrell is helping to restore the lost forest.

This is a fragment of rainforest. Amazingly, 7% of the wor ld’s species live in these fragments.

The fragme nts of rainforest a re made by areas lik e th cleared for is being farming.

ISSU E 1 • 2021 W ILD LIFE

15

D O D O D I S PAT C H

This is Laury

Laury works for the Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (IPÊ) in Brazil. His mission is to preserve the Atlantic Forest by protecting its wildlife, and restoring the forest.

rainforests are made of four layers

To do this he organises the planting of trees to replace those that have been lost. Laury works with local people to grow and care for tree seedlings until they can survive on their own. Once planted, in only six short years, you can have a forest! Can you see Laury in the tree nursery?

Laury also helps local communities farm in the forest while still protecting the wildlife that lives there. They grow coffee, pineapple, banana, avocado, coconut, and papaya.

coffee plants

This is Gabi

Gabi leads a team for IPÊ that are helping to save the endangered black lion tamarin.

The damage done to the forest means groups of tamarins are cut off from each other. Gabi and her team work with local communities to plant new forest corridors to help reconnect them.

Gabi has put up nest boxes in the forest for the tamarins to sleep in, they aslo help encourage the tamarins to move around. Can you spot any?

16

W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

JAGUAR

D O D O D I S PAT C H

r ging Laye The Emeertop, top layer

This is th inforest of the ra

the CANOPY

Here you of leaves ’ll find loads a making a nd branches roo next two f for the layers

the UNDERstory

A great place for animals to Live. there’s space to move about, and It’s pretty dark, so easier to hide

Tree nursery

loor est fce for r o f pla eal Th e

am fect A per s to find r e t a ante

Laury and Gabi’s hard work in the Atlantic Forest helps hundreds of species.

Here are a few.

white-lipped

peccary

tapir giant

anteater ISSU E 1 • 2021 W ILD LIFE

17

D O D O D I S PAT C H

corridor conundrum Which tree corridor is the right one?

Help the black lion tamarins back to their safe forest fragment.

black lion tamarins Once thought extinct, the black lion tamarin was rediscovered in 1970.

There are roughly 1,600 black lion tamarins left in the wild.

18

W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

A family of 8 black lion tamarins needs 110 hectares of forest, that's 155 football pitches!

They're the size of a squirrel.

A F T ER A L ON G T I ME IN THE MAKING , D U R R E L L ’ S N EW C HARITY S HO P O P EN ED I T S DOORS IN MAY THIS YEA R . BA SED AT JERS E Y ZO O , THIS IM P R ESSI VE SEC ON D-HAND S HO P IS N O W OPEN F OR S HO P P ING AND D O N AT I ON DR OP- OFFS S IX D AYS A W E EK , FR OM T U ESDAY TO S UND AY, 1 0 A M – 4: 30PM.

REUSE RECYCLE REWILD

Since 2016, the Durrell Charity Shop has provided an incredibly valuable income stream for the Trust. Each year, it brings in vital funds for the work needed to revive ecosystems, restore threatened wildlife, and reconnect people to nature across the globe. With an engaged and generous local community in Jersey, the shop receives thousands of donated items every month, with items varying from antique artefacts and retro gadgets to the latest fashions and popular tech.

Not only is the shop a brilliant way for Durrell to raise funds and for shoppers to grab a bargain, but it also promotes the important message of recycling unwanted items and rehoming preloved belongings that may have ended up in the rubbish bin.

Located within the zoo’s car park next to the Durrell Wildlife Camp, the new charity shop was built by local construction company ROK and is around four times the size of the previous shop space at Peacock Farm. The opening hours have been able to increase, nearly doubling from 20 hours per week to 39 hours.

ISSU E 1 • 2021 W ILD LIFE

19

There is now a fantastic, designated drivethru area for dropping off donations, as well as aluminium cans for the Cans for Corridors project. The shop also has a new van, which enables staff to collect more donations than previously possible.

The shop fittings were responsibly produced, with all wooden fixtures being FSC certified, and many of the shop fixtures were kindly donated by USC, Oliver Sweeney, and Sandpiper Group. The turquoise-coloured shopping baskets are, in fact, made from used and recycled fishing ropes, helping to reduce ocean plastics.

Opening hours

Tuesday – Sunday 10:00 – 16:30

Parking

For shoppers: free For donations: please use the drive-thru drop off zone

KEEP UP TO DATE

Follow the Durrell Charity Shop on social media for updates.

Facebook & Instagram: @DurrellCharityShop

With the Durrell food kiosk based just outside, customers can make the most of their shopping experience by treating themselves to refreshments afterwards.

In addition to donated items, there is also a small selection of new, responsibly produced merchandise that promotes nature connection and sustainable living, such as reusable food wraps and seedboms to rewild your garden.

‘Upcycled for Durrell’ is an area dedicated to selling arts and crafts created and donated by volunteers, staff, and supporters. The team is regularly contacted by people who have made items for Durrell and would like to donate them

20

W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

to sell and raise funds, so this area at the new shop is the perfect place for it. In the long term, the charity shop team plans to hold monthly upcycling workshops where participants can learn how to transform old, discarded objects into beautiful, new items.

The Durrell Charity Shop has always provided brilliant opportunities for volunteers on the island, and the team hopes that more volunteers will join the community at the new shop. Up to 60 volunteers each month donate their time – anything from a couple of hours to a few days per week – to help sort, price, and sell the items at the shop. Durrell’s wonderful volunteers painted an incredible total of 7,000 metres of wooden cladding for the exterior of the new shop, saving up to £6,000!

How you can help

If you’ve had a clear-out recently and are preparing to drop off items to the charity shop, here are a few ways you can help in advance of donating.

• Please only donate items that can be sold – if you think someone you know would buy it, then we’d love to receive it!

• Before donating large furniture, please email images to charityshop@durrell.org and the team will respond to confirm if there is space to take the item(s) and if collection is possible.

• Wash clothing and fabrics • Wipe down any hard surfaces • Only drop off items during opening hours – leaving them outside often results in theft or damage, meaning kindly donated goods cannot be sold to raise funds.

• If you have a large number of items to donate, please consider staggering your donations to help with storage capacity.

What we’re looking for

If you would like to get involved, visit durrell.org/volunteer to find out more and register your interest, or email Durrell Volunteer Manager Daniel.Craven@durrell.org

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Accessories Books CDs & vinyl records Clothing DVDs & video games Electrical appliances Furniture Handbags Household linen & curtains Jewellery Kitchenware Pictures Puzzles Shoes Soft furnishings Sports equipment Toys

Items not accepted • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Anything broken, incomplete, unsafe, or dirty Baby monitors, walking frames, door bouncers, baby slings Children’s car seats or booster seats Cookers, microwaves, fridges, washing machines Electric fires Firearms and ammunition Gas and oil appliances Items made of fur, ivory, bone, turtle, tortoiseshell, or any endangered species Mattresses Medical equipment and medication Opened cosmetics Poisonous, toxic or hazardous substances Pornographic items Protective headgear Safety gates Swimming aids, floats, lifejackets Weapons, replicas, sharp objects, knives, darts, swords

ISSU E 1 • 2021 W ILD LIFE

21

TECH CORNER

BLOOD ANALYSIS

A VITAL GIFT

i

ii

Durrell is fortunate enough to have two in-house vets, who not only care for the animals at Jersey Zoo but also at our captive breeding programmes at our rewilding sites around the world.

22

The care of our extremely rare animals is highly specialised and often relies on analysis of blood samples to diagnose any problems. In the past we have relied on sending samples to the UK where tests were carried out.

biochemistry analyser. This means that we can now get quick results for all our animals (in less than ten minutes on some occasions) and make quick treatment decisions, if necessary, when an animal is still under anaesthesia. Having this technology within the zoo means that we can more easily gather data from all our species. This will help establish reference ranges when the animals are healthy to better diagnose when they are sick. This also opens further research and publication opportunities.

This year, thanks to the generosity of our Durrell Gardiens, we have been able to purchase a haematology analyser and

We are hugely grateful to the Durrell Gardiens for generously funding the purchase of this vital equipment.

W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

TECH CORNER

ANT I CLO C K W I S E FR O M FA R T O P LE F T i The haematology analyser and biochemistry analyser. ii blood samples being prepared for analysis. iii Alberto Barbon, one of our in-house vets, preparing to run the biochemistry analyser. iv Theresa Ruellan, veterinary support manager, looking over results from the haematology analyser.

iii

Durrell Gardiens Get closer to Durrell’s mission by joining as a Gardien. Have exclusive opportunities to meet the expert team and experience our work first-hand.

This dedicated group of supporters receive invitations to bespoke events and behindthe-scenes tours and are among the first to gain insights into our work direct from the Jersey Zoo team and international conservationists.

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.

To find out more contact alexandra.shears@durrell.org

iv

ISSU E 1 • 2021 W ILD LIFE

23

YOUR FAMILY AND OTHER ANIMALS LEAVING A GIFT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

C L O C K W I S E FR O M T OP LE F T Gerry in Corfu with Roger, 1930s Gerry with ring-tailed and red-ruffed lemurs Gerry in Corfu with a barn owl, 1930s Gerry with a pygmy anteater in Panama, 1983, filming TV series Amateur Naturalist Gerry with a tapir and Jersey cow, c. 1959-1960

24

W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

I am writing to you from the island of Corfu where Gerry, as a boy more than 80 years ago, discovered his great passion for the animal kingdom and the natural world.

It is now early summer, and I am surrounded by wildflowers alive with bees in the daytime and a chorus of scops owls at night. The swallows have just returned to their nests in the eaves of the old house where I’m staying.

It is easy see how Gerry’s determination to save species from extinction was kindled here in Corfu.

The dreams of the boy came to pass some years later when Gerry set up what is now called Durrell Wildlife Conser vation Trust. He asked the people who had enjoyed his books about Corfu (and other places!) to become the first members. You are now more than sixteen thousand strong and have made a difference in the world that Gerry would have been proud of. He always said the members were the backbone of the Trust.

Gerry oversaw our early breeding, research and training projects at Jersey Zoo and championed our first forays into wild places to restore species and habitats that other conserv ationists had given up on. How he would have rejoiced in the further achievements of his Trust over the last 25 years and in the robust plans for the future developed by our extraordinary Durrel l team! He would be the first to say we couldn’t have done it without you, the members, nor can we meet the upcoming challenges without you.

This brings me to the point of my letter, which is to ask you to consider remembering the Trust in your will.

Over the years gifts in wills have enabled us to make major strides forwar d in the Trust’s mission, from enhancing infrastructure at Jersey Zoo, including our Conser vation Academy, to underwriting vital components of our field programmes around the world.

But Gerry often said that the destruction of the natural world is proceeding at the speed of an Exocet missile, while conservation moves at the pace of a donkey cart! That was perhaps true in Gerry’s time, but it has since been proven beyond doubt that conservation efforts, especially Durrell’s, do make a big difference – we just need more of them!

So, no matter when your gift is received, it will be put to significant use.

Please send your thoughts to Judith Freeman, our Legacy Manager, by email or telephone her. She will send you our new brochure, which gives details of how gifts in wills have helped the Trust’s mission in the past and how they will continue to do so.

I thank you warmly for all that you have already done for us and for thinkin

g about the future.

Yours sincerely, Lee Durrell

H O N O R A RY D I R E C T O R

We would love to hear from you.

Contact Judith directly on 01534 860065 or email judith.freeman@durrell.org ISSU E 1 • 2021 W ILD LIFE

25

BE INSPIRED

We are so grateful to our fundraisers, members and sponsors and would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us. We hope some of the ways supporters are helping to save wildlife will also inspire you.

With nature at its heart, Rewild Carbon is a wild and colourful climate solution for your business.

Please join us online on 8th July at 18:00 BST and be the first to hear about Durrell’s exciting new initiative.

Find out more at durrell.org/events Thank you to Quilter Cheviot for kindly sponsoring this event.

26

W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

MEMORIES CONTINUE TO SHINE

POR TS OF JERSEY BEAT THE BLUES

Dedicated volunteers, Jacky and Odette, help clean and care for the many special plaques around the zoo. Personal inscriptions are a lasting way to celebrate a special occasion or remember a loved one.

Ports of Jersey were key partners in helping Durrell transport precious reptiles away from the Mauritius oil spill last year. On Blue Monday, known as the most depressing day of the year, Ports of Jersey lifted spirits by rewarding their hard-working staff with vouchers to visit Jersey Zoo. This thoughtful gift promotes the benefits of connecting to nature whilst also supporting vital conservation projects. You can purchase vouchers from our online shop.

To learn more about commemorative gifts please contact Judith, our Legacy Manager, on judith.freeman@durrell.org

BIR THDAY FUNDRAISING Inspired by her childhood hero Gerald Durrell and the Trust’s work protecting threatened wildlife, Marika set up a JustGiving page to honour her 50th birthday.

Together with her family and friends, she set a goal of £150 to celebrate the special occasion and help save species from extinction.

You can set up a birthday page too, visit www.justgiving.org/DWCT

HARRISON & BEAU WALK 50 MILES Hats off to five-year-old Harrison, who walked 50 miles and raised over £1,000 for our Love Your Zoo appeal. Harrison, who wants to be a zoo vet one day, was inspired to do something to help look after the animals at Jersey Zoo. During February he completed the challenge by walking laps of the St. Martin’s Primary School playground with his buddy Beau the orangutan.

Find out how you can show your love for Jersey Zoo at durrell.org/loveyourzoo

JERSEY FUND FOR A WILDER WORLD This sustainable finance initiative, in collaboration with Jersey Finance, enables funds sector providers and intermediaries to contribute to Durrell’s projects. The fund aims to effect positive change for those investors wanting to make a difference with their money. Visit www.jerseyfinance.je/jersey-fund-for-a-wilder-world to learn more.

CAKES CAKES CAKES To make their Easter holidays special, sisters Molly and Elsie, with the help of their mum, baked a range of delicious cakes and sold them raising a tasty £109. Thank you Molly and Elsie.

DRAGONFISH R OW

GET FIT AT THE ZOO Last summer, Funktion Fitness, funktion.je began hosting circuit classes within the grounds of Jersey Zoo, once COVID-19 restrictions allowed. Not only did attendees enjoy the unique experience of working out at the zoo, but the animals were captivated by the spectacle! Thank you to Funktion Fitness for raising funds to support our vision of a wilder, healthier, more colourful world. You can join too, visit www.funktion.je

In December 2022, Pete Wright and Steve Hayes will be testing their mental strength, physical endurance, and friendship to the limits as they row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. Steve and Pete selected Durrell as one of their chosen charities, supporting our project in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, which aims to restore 4,500 hectares of vital forest corridors by 2030.

If you’d like to find out more, please visit www.dragonfishrow.com

CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP We are delighted to welcome those businesses supporting Durrell through membership in 2021.

• BWCI Group • Cazenove Capital • Granite Products Ltd • Rathbones Find out how your business can support too, contact supportercare@durrell.org

ISSU E 1 • 2021 W ILD LIFE

27

GRADUATE FOCUS

GABRIELA REZENDE

PROJECT COORDINATOR, INSTITUTO DE PESQUISAS ECOLÓGICAS

Gabriela Rezende is the Project Coordinator for the Black Lion Tamarin Conservation Programme. The project is run by one of the largest NGOs in Brazil, the Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (IPÊ), and an exemplar of the positive impact that our training can have on delivering effective conservation programmes.

Gabriela attended the Durrell Endangered Species Management (DESMAN) course in 2013, following in the footsteps of 11 of her colleagues, including the cofounders of IPÊ. Since then, her programme has received recognition in 2015 as Best Conservation Initiative Award by the Brazilian Ministry of Environment, and she won the prestigious Whitley Award in 2020.

What first inspired you to want to work in conservation? I don’t feel that a particular person or incident inspired me to follow this career path; it happened naturally. Like many undergraduates in Brazil studying Biological Sciences, I had a dream of working with sea turtles. I was lucky to find an internship at an aquarium on the Brazilian coast that rehabilitates marine mammals. This experience gave me a broad insight into working at a conservation organisation. During this time, I learnt so much about captive care, animal rehabilitation, environmental education, and field research. It was also here that I met one of my mentors who really influenced my career. Paula Baldassin was the Chief Vet at Ubatuba Aquarium. She became a good friend and has really shaped my career in the conservation world.

Tell us about your career path so far and how you got to where you are today?

At university, I took a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences, with an emphasis on Conservation Biology. My first jobs in conservation were working with sea turtles, first in Costa Rica, as a Research Assistant for the Endangered Wildlife Trust, and then in Brazil, as a trainee for the TAMAR Project. I then started a Master’s in Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable

28

W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

Development at IPÊ, where I soon became an associate researcher and project coordinator. When I finished my Master’s, I was starting to work with the Black Lion Tamarin Conservation Programme. It was then that I was given the opportunity to spend three months in Jersey and take the DESMAN course. When I returned to Brazil, I dedicated myself to saving black lion tamarins from extinction. Currently, I am finishing my PhD research in black lion tamarin movement ecology, the results of which will be used to design habitat management plans to improve forest quality for the species and increase their chances of survival.

Can you tell us about your role as a Project Coordinator at IPÊ? I lead all activities related to black lion tamarin conservation, including field research, population management, stakeholder engagement, and support for policy development. As well as managing a team that includes a biologist, a vet, field assistants, students, and volunteers, I am also responsible for fundraising, reporting and communicating the project activities.

How has doing the DESMAN course impacted the work you do today?

I cannot overemphasise the impact that the DESMAN course had on my work. I learnt so many new skills, including project management and fundraising, but I also improved my knowledge of several management strategies that are applied in conservation initiatives around the globe. Networking with people from other conservation programmes was also really important (some I still keep in touch with).

And of course, it was incredibly special to be at Durrell’s headquarters and get to know the people and institution that has supported our work since the beginning.

What was the highlight of your time in Jersey? Besides seeing snow for the first time in my life, it was being surrounded by conservationists from around the world, including Kiribati (an island in the Central Pacific), and Montserrat. These were places that I had not even heard of before

and meeting these people and learning from them enriched the content of the course itself.

What was the most important thing you learnt during your three months in Jersey?

My time in Jersey was more than just a professional development opportunity; it was a life experience. We learnt about resilience, we learnt about communication and how to express yourself clearly in another language. We learnt to not be afraid and face challenges head-on.

You don't get this kind of knowledge from books or lectures, but from a unique and immersive experience such as the DESMAN course.

For me, the course was a turning point in my career and led to the invitation to coordinate the programme. The course gave me the confidence to take on this challenging role, and I now make it essential for anyone who joins my team in Brazil.

What achievement are you personally most proud of? My greatest achievement is my daughter. Becoming a mother has given me a different perspective. I have always wanted to make this world a better place, but now I constantly think about the future and the world that she will inherit.

I was especially proud to win the Whitley Award at a point in my career when I was finding the balance between my personal life as a mother and my professional life.

The timing felt very symbolic and was definitely the highlight of my career. It was recognition of this multiple-hands, long-term project and support to continue doing what I do for tamarins and future generations.

What are your hopes for the future of black lion tamarins? We have been working to protect black lion tamarins for three decades. I hope that we are close to seeing the species’ conservation status move from Endangered to Vulnerable, to reflect the hard work and success we are having.

ISSU E 1 • 2021 W ILD LIFE

29

TEENS EXPLORING NATURE THROUGH TECH

Access to nature is essential for healthy lives, but interest in the natual world often dramatically declines during teenage years.

That’s not great for teenagers’ health and wellbeing, or for the planet.

30

W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

A key part of Durrell’s ambitious “Rewild Our World” strategy is to help one million people become better connected to nature by 2025 – the year our founder, Gerald Durrell, would have celebrated his 100th birthday. Nature connection is hugely important, not only because people who are better connected to nature are more likely to demonstrate pro-environmental behaviours such as recycling and supporting wildlife conservation, but they also tend to have better mental and physical health.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

• • • • •

In partnership with the Royal College of Art’s My Naturewatch programme, Durrell is working with young people in Jersey to unleash technologies that will help them explore nature and discover the wildlife on their doorstep. The WildSnap project’s aim is to ultimately improve the nature connection of teenagers in Jersey, and if successful, we plan to roll the scheme out to our rewilding sites in the UK, India, and elsewhere across the world.

This project will play a key role in helping us meet our 2025 goals.

By providing self-build camera kits to secondary schools and youth groups on the island, we will enable teenagers to build, programme, and deploy homemade “camera traps”. These can then be used to capture the beauty of local wildlife, landscapes and seascapes, and in turn, strengthen teenagers’ connection with the natural world around them.

The images will be celebrated through a unique, island-wide photography competition, culminating in an exhibition that will bring nature to the streets of St. Helier. The photographs will also be posted on social media throughout the project to share Jersey’s beauty further afield.

Build your own wildlife camera using the self-build kit Put the camera outdoors in your favourite wild spot to capture the wildlife around us The camera automatically takes photos when movement is detected View the photos on a smartphone, tablet or computer Email your photos to learning@ durrell.org or post them on social media! #WildSnapDurrell

The “camera traps” are triggered by movement in front of the lens.

More specifically, the software used by the cameras prompts them to take a digital photograph whenever there is a significant change in the field of vision in front of the lens, for example when a squirrel appears!

The photographs are stored by the camera, and can be transferred to a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or other device within Wi-Fi range.

Conservationists and wildlife enthusiasts use motion-triggered “camera traps” to take photographs of shy and enigmatic creatures that normally hide from human eyes.

For example, our team in India uses camera traps to monitor wild populations of pygmy hogs in Assam.

They sometimes capture special glimpses of female hogs with their tiny piglets, as well as a range of other fascinating species, including hog deer, monitor lizards, elephants, rhinos, and even tigers!

OUR PARTNERS

SO, WHY NOT JOIN IN?

We are asking secondary schools and youth clubs in Jersey to get involved and share their hidden camera snaps with the world. Give it a go – you may discover that there are more creatures living around you than you’d realised! Get in touch with us by emailing learning@durrell.org For those aged 13+, follow WildSnap on social media for updates.

FACEBOOK @WildSnap INSTAGRAM & TIKTOK @WildSnap_Durrell

ISSU E 1 • 2021 W ILD LIFE

31

R E W I L D C A R BO N IN N UMBERS Rewild Carbon is Durrell’s wild, colourful and impactful carbon offsetting programme, which reduces carbon in the atmosphere by rewilding threatened ecosystems. To find out how your business can rewild its carbon emissions, contact rachel.hughes@durrell.org

JECT IS IN TH E

A

T

LA

T REWILD C AR BO

N

O PR

NT A

UR

S FIR

FOREST IN IC BR

L ESS T HA N 6% OF T HE AT L A N T I C F OR EST R EM A I N S

Z

IL

O

WE A IM TO RESTORE 5,00 0 HEC TA R ES OF N EW AT L A N T I C F OR EST

7 MI LLI ON TREES WILL BE PL ANT ED A N D N UR T UR ED I N T HE N EXT 5 Y EA R S

1,000 END ANGER ED BL A CK LIO N TA MA RINS WILL B E PR OTECT ED

1 00 NE ST B O XES WILL B E BUILT TO P R OV ID E S A F E SLEEP ING SITES F OR TAMAR I NS IN F OR EST C O R R I D ORS

W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

CO 2

HA B I TAT W I L L B E R EST OR ED F OR M O R E T HA N 100 M A M M A L SPEC I ES, 43 9 B IR D SPEC I ES A N D 30 A M PHI B I A N SP E CIE S

250 LOCA L FA MILIES WILL BE EMPLOYE D

32

2 M I L L I ON T ON N ES O F AT M OSPHER I C CO2 WILL BE ST OR ED OV ER T HE T R EES’ L I F ET I M E

800 L OC A L S W I L L B E T R A I N ED I N SEED L I N G PR OD UC T I ON A N D F OR EST R EST OR AT I ON

QUILTER CHEVIOT AND REWILD CARBON PARTNERSHIP Quilter Cheviot is delighted to be the Official Launch Partner of Rewild Carbon with Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

As Gerald Durrell, founder of Durrell and British naturalist, so eloquently put, we have historically been bad gardeners to the incredibly beautiful and complex garden we have been fortunate enough to inherit. We therefore must take action immediately to ensure this garden can be restored to its full potential.

Rewild Carbon is more than just a carbon offsetting programme, it will revive ecosystems and species populations in tandem with reducing carbon in the atmosphere. As part of this project, Durrell aims to restore 4,500 hectares of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, of which only 6% remains today in isolated fragments. By linking these fragments by 2030, this will expand the habitat for countless species including the threatened black Lion Tamarins and Jaguars.

There is a growing interest among investors to align their investments with their ethical values. Our discretionary clients now have the ability to opt in for a ‘Positive Change’ portfolio or to include our Climate Assets Fund within their portfolio. The Climate Assets Fund offers exposure to companies that are working on finding the solutions to the world’s long-term challenges. With that said, there are multiple options in which an investor can put their money to work whether it be investing in companies that are enabling this sustainable transition or with companies that are actively reducing their environmental impact.

Alternatively, there are also companies that are having a negative impact on the environment, but an investor can play a pivotal role in implementing positive change. As a responsible investor, Quilter Cheviot is committed to its role as a steward of clients’ assets in order to protect and enhance long-term returns. We are focussed on voting, engaging with companies we invest in and collaboration with others.

However, we have to make sure our own house is in order before we start telling others what to do. We have reviewed what we can do internally to help the environment and have decided to reduce the amount of paper we use updating our clients on their investments on a monthly basis. Instead, we are launching an online digital portal for all our clients and advisers to access all relevant documents and updates from us.

We are therefore eliminating the need of printing our valuations which requires more than 5 million sheets of paper per year, the equivalent of 600 trees. By reducing our paper usage, we are reducing our carbon emissions and playing our part in reducing global deforestation, impact.

While this may be a drop in the ocean in the grand scheme of things, offering online reporting will encourage other advisers and investment managers to follow suit once it is apparent how efficient it is to turn digital in addition to the environmental factors. We hope that 600 trees saved each year will quickly grow into the thousands.

We will all examine how we can reduce emissions further and what we cannot reduce will be offset via Durrell’s Rewild Carbon initiative.

This year marks Quilter Cheviot’s 250th anniversary, providing the perfect opportunity for us to raise awareness of our sustainable objectives to ensure we are improving the way we treat our planet over the next 250 years. We must take action today to become better gardeners tomorrow.”

Tim Childe Head of International & Jersey Office

Find out more about investing with us by contacting Tim Childe, Head of International & Jersey office, on 01534 506139 or visit www.quiltercheviot.com

Investors should remember that the value of investments, and the income from them, can go down as well as up and that past performance is no guarantee of future returns. You may not recover what you invest. Quilter Cheviot and Quilter Cheviot Investment Management are trading names of Quilter Cheviot Limited. Quilter Cheviot Limited is registered in England with number 01923571, registered office at Senator House, 85 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4AB. Quilter Cheviot Limited is a member of the London Stock Exchange, authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. Quilter Cheviot Limited is regulated under the Financial Services (Jersey) Law 1998 by the Jersey Financial Services Commission for the conduct of investment business and funds services business in Jersey and by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission under the Protection of Investors (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law 1987 to carry on investment business in the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

ADOPT AN AMAZING ANIMAL TODAY NEW

BEAR | FLAMINGO | GORILLA | LEMUR | ORANGUTAN | OTTER

SHOW YOUR LOVE FOR THE ANIMALS AT JERSEY ZOO An adoption is a great gift and also supports Durrell’s global conservation work.

£25

YOUR ADOPTION PACK INCLUDES: A booklet all about your chosen animal Adoption certificate A photo of your chosen animal Two postcards A bookmark

DU RRE L L .OR G / ADO P T W IL D L I F E I SS U E 1 • 2 02 1

Stickers

ADOPT THE

FLAMINGOS