Gerald Durrell

Gerald Durrell (1925-1995) was a naturalist best known for starting the Jersey Zoological Park on the English Channel island of Jersey, and for writing a number of books based on his animal-collecting expeditions.

He was born in India of British parents who returned to the UK in 1928, and he therefore became used to travelling at an early age. His wildlife expeditions began with a 1947 self-financed trip to the area that eventually became the country of Cameroon and continued for many decades, during which time he became famous for his push for wildlife conservation.

Durrell's books, which include several novels for children, have a wry but delightful style that poked fun at himself as well as those around him. Many feel his best work is My Family and Other Animals (1959), which tells of idyllic childhood years on the Greek island of Corfu. It delightfully skewers his whole family, especially elder brother Lawrence Durrell, who became a famous novelist. Nonetheless, the two brothers were close friends all their lives.

Durrell also appeared extensively on television, and received the Order of the British Empire[?] in 1982.

Nonfiction books by Gerald Durrell

• The Overloaded Ark (1953)
• The Bafut Beagles (1954)
• Three Singles to Adventure (1954)
• The Drunken Forest (1956)
• My Family And Other Animals (1956)
• Encounters with Animals (1958)
• A Zoo in My Luggage (1960)
• Island Zoo (1961)
• Look At Zoos (1961)
• The Whispering Land (1961)
• Menagerie Manor (1964)
• Two in the Bush (1966)
• Birds, Beasts And Relatives (1969)
• Catch Me a Colobus (1972)
• Beasts in My Belfry (1973)
• The Stationary Ark (1976)
• Golden Bats And Pink Pigeons (1977)
• The Garden of the Gods (1978)
• The Picnic And Suchlike Pandemonium (1979)
• The Amateur Naturalist (1982) (with Lee Durrell)
• Ark On the Move (1982)
• How to Shoot an Amateur Naturalist (1984)
• Durrell in Russia (1986) (with Lee Durrell)
• The Ark's Anniversary (1990)
• The Aye-aye And I (1992)