Rare specimen collected by celebrated naturalist Gerard Durrell is donated to National Museums Scotland

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The donation comes in  the centenary year of Gerald Durrell’s birth and includes a rare species collected by Durrell himself. These specimens will now be available for scientific research, informing conservation efforts and animal welfare practices around the world.  

Gerald Malcolm Durrell was a British naturalist, writer and television presenter, who founded Jersey Zoo in 1959. He is perhaps best known for his autobiographical book My Family and Other Animals, which was adapted for screen most recently in the popular ITV series The Durrells. His childhood fascination with animals inspired a lifetime of wildlife advocacy. 

This collection represents one of the largest donations of physical specimens ever made by the Trust and includes many species emblematic Durrell’s lifelong devotion to conservation, including the pied tamarin, the Mauritian pink pigeon and the ploughshare tortoise. Many of the world’s rarest animals are represented, such as the critically endangered mountain chicken frog with only 23 wild individuals on Dominica in 2023.As well as the skin of a zebra duiker - an endangered species of antelope - that was gifted to Durrell during a trip to Sierra Leone in 1965. The moment is described in his book, Catch Me a Colobus, and was captured by a BBC documentary film crew. 

Professor Andrew Kitchener, Principal Curator of Vertebrate Biology at National Museums Scotland, said:  

“National Museums Scotland has a long-standing collaboration with the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust to preserve and study specimens from Jersey Zoo.  Gerald Durrell was an influential champion for wildlife and his advocacy continues through the remarkable work of the Trust.  This important donation represents an invaluable addition to our 300-year-old natural sciences collection and will enable researchers to learn more about the lives of endangered species, informing conservation efforts around the world.” 

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is an international charity, headquartered at Jersey Zoo in the Channel Islands, working to save species from extinction. Through hands-on conservation projects around the world, training and scientific studies, the Trust’s aim is for more diverse, beautiful and resilient natural landscapes in which species can thrive and people can enjoy a deeper connection with nature. 

Dave Houston, Associate Veterinary Officer at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, said: 

“The Trust is delighted to have been able to make such a significant contribution to the invaluable work of National Museums Scotland on this, the centenary of our founder’s birth. 

 

We are excited to think that after a lifetime under the care of Jersey Zoo the contributions these specimens can make to conservation science will extend well into the future, underscoring the Trust’s continued commitment to saving species from extinction.  

 

To have these treasured individuals continue to develop our understanding of the value and intricacy of the natural world, and in doing so deepen our appreciation of its beauty, seems like a fitting way to celebrate a lifetime lived in the service of wildlife conservation.” 

The donation is announced ahead of Giants (31 January – 14 September 2026), a major natural sciences exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland. The spectacular exhibition will showcase giant prehistoric animals including a mammoth, a sabre toothed big cat and a megalodon, a colossal shark that may have grown to over 20m long.