page_title: Jersey Zoo
section_title: Recent developments
hierarchical_section_title: Jersey Zoo / Recent developments
caption_attribution_description: English: Statue at Jersey Zoological Park of Gerald Durrell with a Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata), and a Round Island day gecko (Phelsuma guentheri). Jersey.
context_page_description: Jersey Zoo is a zoological park established in 1959 on the island of Jersey in the English Channel by naturalist and author Gerald Durrell. It is operated by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. It has approximately 169,000 visitors per year; visitor numbers tend to vary with the tourist trade to Jersey.
  Jersey Zoo has always concentrated on rare and endangered species. It has mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles, comprising over 130 species.
  Since 1964, the zoo has been home to the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.
context_section_description: Gerald Durrell began his career capturing animals for other zoos, but thought that the facilities needed to concentrate more on animal conservation rather than mere entertainment. He tells the story of starting the zoo in his book "Menagerie Manor" and others.
  In January 2008 plans, known as "New Vision," were unveiled for the future of the zoo. They were brought up to help ensure another 50 years of the trust in Jersey. These ambitious plans had an emphasis on the notion of 'TopSpots'; places where the greatest diversity of animals are found such as islands and highlands. It was budgeted that the cost of the redevelopment would be in the region of £46 million over the next five years. All funds needed to be raised through public and private donations. There were nine main aspects of development with animal welfare in its mind. Most of the plan was eventually cancelled due to costs.
  African Bai — The idea was to recreate an environment mirroring the ecology of the African habitat, that the western lowland gorillas would need to adapt to, if one day it would be safe for them to be left alone in the wild. The multimillion-pound complex would include a gym and updated facilities for the gorillas. The family size could expand, or have an additional group to live alongside the current group. With the African Bai theme, it was planned to bring in new species from the region, considered animals included red river hog, African clawless otter, and guenon monkeys.
  Mascarenia — The idea was to integrate the mammals, birds and terrapins of Madagascar together in one walkthrough enclosure. It is also possible that species from Mauritius, Comores and Seychelles might be included. Surrounding the walkthrough area, which would include the bats, were enclosures which would house the lemurs, aye-ayes, narrow-striped mongoose and Malagasy giant rats.
  A new visitor centre, which was designed to enhance the guests overall experience. A restaurant, and a hall of fame would become part of the experience.
  Eco-lodge cabins, which would allow people to stay at Durrell for a holiday, all environmental modern experience
  New Reptile and Amphibian Centre, which would allow Durrell to expand and enhance the care for species more prone to the changing environment
  Redevelopment of Les Augres manor, which would allow people to stay there for holidays, by turning part into a kind of hotel
  Improvements to training facilities
  Improvements to the centres
  Develop the Royal Pavilion into a full-time conference suite
  In May 2011, a new visitor centre and restaurant was officially opened by Princess Anne. Access to the zoo is not required for access to the restaurant. A webcam service has been recently developed at Durrell Wildlife Park. Cameras have been installed in the meerkat enclosure, as well as in those of the Telfair's skinks, the Livingstone's fruit bats and in the Kirindy Forest, the home of a rare and colourful bird collection. The webcam lets viewers to those species at times when they are often inaccessible, including watching the fruit bats during the evening when they are most active. In 2015 an infant silverback gorilla named Indigo who lived at the park was chosen to be the mascot of the 2015 Island Games which were held on the island.
caption: Statue of Gerald Durrell with a black-and-white ruffed lemur, April 2008
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon PowerShot G9", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "QuickTime 7.4.5", "Image DateTime": "2008:04:20 20:48:25", "Image HostComputer": "Mac OS X 10.5.2", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "252", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "640", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "7232", "Thumbnail YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/100", "EXIF FNumber": "4", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "80", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2008:04:19 09:37:06", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2008:04:19 09:37:06", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "213/32", "EXIF ApertureValue": "4", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "107/32", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, auto mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "12733/1000", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area"}