Beetle named after Jersey conservationist Durrell

A new type of beetle has been named in tribute to Gerald Durrell, the author and naturalist who founded Jersey Zoo.

The species was christened Macratria durrelli by Natural History Museum insect expert Dmitry Telnov, who had been inspired by the conservationist's work while growing up in the former Soviet Union.

Once a famous island resident, Durrell dedicated his life to saving endangered species from extinction, and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust was established after his death in 1995 to honour those efforts.

"Gerald Durrell helped me realise that, as a scientist, that we have to help conserve nature and not just study it," said Mr Telnov.

He added that the new species favoured tropical climates and was part of a larger group known as antlike flower beetles, so-called because of the way they moved their heads and used their antenna to feel their environment.

"The Macratria durrelli is from Madagascar, a country where Gerald worked for a long time," said Mr Telnov.

"It was part of his work there that made him realise certain species were disappearing and we had to act."

And, with 2025 having marked the centenary of Durrell's birth, it seemed the perfect time to pay tribute to him, he added.

"Gerald has been a huge inspiration to me throughout my life and his legacy is extraordinary," Mr Telnov said.

In January 2025, Durrell's widow Lee unveiled a plaque honouring her late husband at Manor House, where he lived within the grounds of Jersey Zoo.

She remembered him as being "a pioneer" and "a larger than life character" with a "megawatt" personality.

Mrs Durrell added that she hoped more people would think about the planet's environmental problems, such as climate change, and "do something about them".

Durrell was born in India in 1925.

He spent some of his childhood in Corfu, which he talked about in his bestselling 1956 book My Family and Other Animals.

He started working as a student zoo keeper and, during his travels, became concerned about the problems facing wildlife.

He later became heavily involved in zoo-led conservation.

In 1959, through inherited funds and selling his writing, he raised enough money to create his own zoo on Jersey to try to save endangered animals from extinction.

Durrell died aged 70.

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