Gerald Durrell – A Life For Nature
You might think that scientists and researchers always use hard-to-understand terminology to express themselves. However, there are exceptions. Gerald Durrell is one of them.
The life sciences are usually considered to be quite complicated and many people believe that only experts can really understand them. But there are also some representatives of this discipline who have managed to inspire thousands of readers for this fascinating world.
More and more scientists are trying to overcome the boundaries of the academic world. Its aim is to give “normal” people access to this knowledge so that they can learn more about nature.
Today we want to tell you about one of these researchers. Gerald Durrell is an excellent author who has laid the foundations for the worldwide dissemination and exchange of scientific writings through his work.
His childhood up to the Corfu trilogy
Gerald Durrell was born in India in 1924, but his family soon moved to the Greek island of Corfu. Due to the Mediterranean climate and the rough terrain , the island was the perfect place for Gerald to come into contact with nature at a young age.
Thus began his journey that made him a scientist, writer and publicist who wanted to bring nature closer to a wider public. In the course of time he not only acquired a great deal of knowledge, but also let his imagination run wild. From this emerged his first three bibliographical books, the so-called Corfu Trilogy.
The trilogy consists of the works My Family and Other Animals , Birds, Critters and Relatives and In the Garden of the Gods . The three books are easy to understand and are considered classics of informative ecology.
In each book, Gerald Durrell tells in detail about his childhood, various family members who surrounded him, and the discoveries and nature excursions he made as a child.
As you read the books, keep in mind that these stories are from the 1940s. Back then we had a completely different view of nature than we do today. The young Gerald caught all kinds of specimens with one of his teachers. Then he spent countless hours observing and studying them with the simple means at his disposal.
His books are full of humor and joy. In addition, they also testify to the great fascination that Gerald felt. As you read, you will find all the experiences that made our love for nature and the animal world come true.
Surely you too can remember how amazed you were when you first saw a spider spinning its web!
The Expeditions and Adventures of Gerald Durrell
After working at a zoo in England for a few years, Gerald Durrell left home in 1946 and organized his own expeditions to look for unknown animals. The animals he caught were sold to the most prestigious zoos.
We would like to reiterate that at that time the only way to learn about animals and nature was to observe them. Therefore the animals were caught and soon afterwards the breeding of the animals in captivity began. However, Durrell followed very strict rules and principles:
- He always made sure to keep and feed the animals under the best possible conditions.
- In addition, he never caught more animals than could be kept under good conditions.
- In addition, no animal was caught because of its market value; he was always concerned with scientific benefit.
Gerald Durrell wasn’t really interested in money. It was more about using zoos to spread knowledge about nature. He also tried to encourage the breeding of wild animals in captivity. Hence, his costly expeditions eventually led to his bankruptcy.
One of his most famous books is The Drunken Forest. He tells in a very amusing way about his numerous adventures that he went through during his expeditions.
The Jersey Zoo
After his expeditions, Gerald turned to the world of writing. Since this gave him a certain fame as a naturalist, his financial situation also improved noticeably.
Then he founded with his savings the Jersey Zoo, which has become a flagship of captive breeding in 1958.
Not only the zoo, but the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust ( now the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust) became increasingly popular and well known.
In the 1970s, the organization pioneered the conservation of endangered and rare animal species, and Durrell was recognized as one of the leading figures in the field of species and animal welfare. His principles for the management of zoos contributed to the development of today’s standards. He also writes about it in his book The Animals in My Ark .
- The first goal of a zoo should be the conservation and protection of endangered species that must be bred in captivity to ensure their survival.
- A zoo should be the last option for an animal. Hence, it should only live there if all other efforts to save it have failed.
- In addition, zoos shouldn’t be just for entertainment. Species that are not threatened with extinction should be returned to their natural habitat.
Gerald Durrell, a pioneer and writer
In conclusion, we can state that Gerald Durrell is an important figure in animal welfare and environmental awareness around the world. His books cover a wide variety of subjects and he has also written more than 20 autobiographical novels.
Famous actor Henry Cavill (Superman, The Witcher) is one of the most significant media ambassadors for the Durrell organization and has expressed his support for this project in various ways; for example with the hashtag #doitfordurrell.
