|
I was first introduced to the writings of Gerald Durrell by a friend who thought that I would enjoy a story about Lawrence Durrell's younger brother. That book was called "My Family and Other Animals." I was totally charmed by the doings of a most eccentric family who lived on the Isle of Corfu pre-World War II. The only member of that family that I had been remotely familiar with up to that time was Lawrence, who was the author of "The Alexandria Quartet" which was required reading for the "literati" of my generation.
From that beginning, I went on to read more of Gerald Durrell's lively and witty books about what has become in the intervening years a most serious topic: the conservation and preservation of animal species on this planet which are at the brink of extinction. The interest in wildlife that his family nurtured in him during his childhood developed into a passionate quest to ensure the survival of species that were perched on that brink. While his books often deal humorously with his efforts and travails in far-off exotic locales, his primary focus was on saving animals. At the end of his book, "The Mockery Bird", which was about animal preservation and destruction of habitat on the hypothetical island of Zenkali, he stated that "the world and its wildlife are being steadily and ruthlessly decimated by what we call progress." He went on in his adult years to found the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust and built the Jersey Zoological Park on one of the Channel Islands off the shore of Great Britain.
Personal Information
Gerald Durrell was born in India on January 7, 1925. He was the son of Lawrence Samuel and Louisa Florence (Dixie) Durrell. When his father died while Gerald was still a baby, his mother was left to raise four children on her own. The books "My Family and Other Animals", "Birds, Beasts and Relatives" and "The Gardens of the Gods" are reminiscences about growing up in his highly eccentric and talented family. His brother Lawrence became the acclaimed writer. His sister Margot became a dress designer and interior decorator. His brother Leslie became a painter. Every child in the family was allowed to develope his or her own talents in a highly nurturing environment, albeit a trifle unconventional to the outside eye. When the family moved back to England because of WWII, Gerald took a job in a local pet shop and spent most of his free time at the London Zoo to be near the animals that he loved.
When the war ended, he managed to become a student at the Whipsnade Zoological Society Park in Bedfordshire. There he learned about the endangerment of rare species and their potential for extinction. His book, "Beasts in my Belfry" describes his experiences at Whipsnade. Starting in l947 he made the first of a series of animal collecting trips, to the British Cameroons, to find species marked for disappearance. Then in l949 he went to the Bafut area and in l950, to British Guiana. These three trips essentially broke the bank for him and used up all of his small inheritance that he had received on his 21st birthday.
Since he had developed better and different ways to cage and transport animals back to zoos without causing undue stress in his captives, he used his money up quickly. When he was considering how to finance further expeditions, his brother Lawrence suggested that he write a book about his experiences to help raise the funds he needed. Thus, Gerald Durrell wrote "The Overloaded Ark", follwed by "The Bafut Beagles" and "Thress Singles to Adventure" each of which became sucessful enough for Gerald Durrell to continue his vocation.
(Note: Some titles of Mr. Durrell's books are given differently in the U.S. and in the U.K., such as "Beasts in my Belfry" becomes "A Bevy of Beasts" and "Three Singles to Adventure", "Three Tickets to Adventure".)
Bibliography
Gerald Durrell went on to become a highly prolific writer even though he basically looked at writing only as a means to an end, the raising of money to continue with his primary goal of building and maintaining a method to preserve and conserve the animals that he loved. Most of his works became best sellers all over the world due primarily to his refreshing manner of writing. His works could be appreciated by a wide audience of readers, young and old. He also developed a TV series call "Two in the Bush" with his first wife, Jacqueline, in l962 that was immensely popular. Gerald Durrell was also the host of "The Stationary Ark", "Ark on the Move", "The Amateur Naturalist", "Durrell in Russia", and "Ourselves and Other Animals" which were produced by the BBC. The following is a list of his books:
The Overloaded Ark
The Bafut Beagles
Encounters with Animals
The Drunken Forest
Three Singles to Adventure
A Zoo in my Luggage
The Whispering Land
Menagerie Manor
Birds, Beasts and Relatives
Rosy is My Relative
Fillets of Plaice
Catch Me a Colobus
Beasts in My Belfry
The Talking Parcel
The Stationary Ark
Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons
The Garden of the Gods
The Picnic and Suchlike Pandemonium
The Aye-Aye and I
The Mockery Bird
The Fantastic Flying Journey
The Fantastic Dinosaur Adventure
The Ark's Anniversary
Marrying Off Mother
The Amateur Naturalist
How to Shoot an Amateur Naturalist
Durrell in Russia
My Family and Other Animals
Life's Work
Gerald Durrell died in January of l995 after a long illness. However, his work continues in The Wildlife Preservation Trust International and on the Channel island of Jersey where the Wildlife Preservation Trust maintains a zoological facility devoted to the conservation of rare species.
Gerald Durrell was a pioneer in a field that is now reaching critical importance as we enter a new century. How do we continue to preserve the diversity of species on this, our planet Earth? Durrell has given us, with humor and wit, a lot of the information that we need to continue with this goal. Gently, at times, and forcefully when needed, he has written books and produced TV series that are informative as well as entertaining. His life contained values that hopefully will continue onward as new generations read his books.
| 
