The 100 Years of Gerald Durrell: Dedication stamp issue celebrates the life and achievements of the beloved conservationist Gerald ‘Gerry’ Malcolm Durrell. Born in India, 1925 Gerald was a well-respected conservationist who founded Jersey Zoo, now known as Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

Following on from the stamp set issued in January this year 100 Years of Gerald Durrell: Conservation, this set focuses more on the person behind the legacy. To gain an understanding of who Gerald was, the Jersey Post Philatelic team met up with Gerald Durrell’s widow, Lee Durrell and Archivist Catherine Kirby who were incredibly helpful in providing insight into Gerald Durrell.

Upon looking through the archive, Gerald’s playful nature could be seen throughout the documented meeting notes, letters and diary entries which included a number of doodles, affectionately renamed zoodles. To inject an element of his fun personality to the stamps, the ‘zoodles’ have been imposed over the photographs.

Each stamp provides a small glimpse into key moments of Gerald’s life including:

• Life in Corfu – Gerald’s family moved to Corfu in 1935, it was here that his love of nature thrived. Within the stamp, Gerald can be seen with his pet tortoise ‘Achilles’. In his later life he was once quoted as saying: “Apart from my wife, my favourite animal is the tortoise.”

• ‘Odd-beast boy’ – After moving to England following the threat of World War II, Gerald gained work as a relief keeper at Whipsnade Zoo. His affinity with the animals led him to acquire the nickname ‘odd-beast boy’.

• First expedition to Cameroon – Gerald’s first wildlife expeditions took place in Cameroon. The trip would make the first of many expeditions Gerald would lead in his life.

• A zoo of his own – A year before securing Jersey Zoo, Gerald had to keep the animals in his sister’s garden in Bournemouth.

• Mother Durrell – Louisa Durrell was a champion for her son’s work and happily engaged with the animals including Chumley the chimp.

• A shared passion for nature – Sir David Attenborough and Gerald Durrell formed a genuine friendship following their mutual respect for each other’s work.

• Durrell Conservation Academy – Considered his proudest achievement, the academy was opened in 1984 and has gone on to welcome over 7,000 conservation practitioners.

• Partners in love and life – Lee McGeorge and Gerald Durrell met in 1977 during a lecture at Duke University, North Carolina. The two made a formidable team, co-authoring a number of books and presenting their own wildlife television programme.

Gerald Durrell Miniature Sheet

The miniature sheet portrait was painted by well-known local artist, Jason Butler. To ensure the person behind the legacy was captured within the portrait, Jason visited Gerald’s apartment which holds an array of treasured objects and books that reflect Gerald’s interests. He also met with Lee Durrell, to find out more about how Gerald liked to entertain guests, getting a better understanding of the lesser talked about and more casual side of the conservationist. Despite Gerald Durrell’s passing in 1995, he remains a much beloved legend in Jersey.

This issue is available to order online at https://jerseystamps.com/ and will be available to purchase in Broad Street Post Office and Jersey Post’s Headquarters in Rue Des Pres from Wednesday 11 June 2025.