Campaigners call for Durrell trustees to resign

A campaign group has called for the Durrell trustees to resign

A group that has raised concerns about staff and animal welfare at Jersey Zoo is calling for the board of trustees to resign.

The group, called We Love the Zoo, said it had called an extraordinary meeting of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust because it was unhappy with the management of the zoo.

It asked members to vote in favour of calling for the resignation of the board of trustees and "all aspects of the current and recent management's running of the zoo".

Durrell said the trustees had "engaged patiently" with the group but its demands were "unreasonable".

'Balancing act'

It said: "Since July 2023, the Trustees have engaged patiently with this group who have continued to make unreasonable and ever-changing demands.

"We have taken time to listen to them through dialogue and made efforts to address their concerns, including through independent mediation whose outcome was rejected by the group."

Jersey Zoo, the headquarters of the trust, was founded by the late author and naturalist Gerald Durrell.

Campaigners said they had "no option" but to call for a vote of no confidence to "get Jersey Zoo back on track in its mission of saving species from extinction".

"Over the past 18 months, concerns have been raised about the management of the animal collection," it said.

"Critically endangered species have left the zoo, while non-threatened animals – some of them nocturnal, and therefore unsuited to the role - have been brought in as crowd-pleasers."

Durrell said the mix of species homed at the zoo had "always been a balancing act".

It said it "remained committed to find the right balance between animals that we work with in the wild and those that will educate and inspire people on the plight of their wild counterparts".

'Met with denial'

Campaigners said an "extraordinary number of staff with animal management and conservation experience cumulatively totalling more than 250 years" had left in the past two years.

It also alleged there had been "numerous reports of bullying of staff and volunteers" - including "descriptions of inappropriate behaviour towards young female staff by a senior member of the management team".

The group said: "We have met the trustees on numerous occasions to express our concerns... but have each time been met with denial and an unwillingness to accept that things are seriously wrong at Jersey Zoo."

Durrell's said it had a "zero tolerance to bullying and harassment and take all complaints seriously".

"These situations are confidential to the respective parties and therefore we cannot comment on specific circumstances or outcomes," it said.

"However, what we can say is that we have robust policies and procedures in place.

"We always follow due process and act based on evidence rather than perception.

"We have fully investigated all matters raised to us and in some circumstances, have used independent third parties to conduct investigations to ensure impartiality."

The meeting is due to be held on 2 May.