About the Author

Born in India in 1925, Gerald Durrell settled on Corfu with his family as a boy, and immediately became fascinated by the island's natural history. He spent much of his time studying the local wildlife and kept numerous, and often unusual, pets. He grew up to be a famous naturalist, animal-collector and conservationist. Over his lifetime he wrote 37 books, went on dozens of animal-collecting trips and presented numerous TV shows. He founded Jersey Zoo in 1959 as a centre for the conservation of endangered species, and created the Jersey Wildlife Conservation Trust in 1963. Gerald ran the Zoo from its foundation until his death in 1995, and his wife Lee is still Honorary Director of the Trust.