Gerald Durrell
Gerald Durrell was born in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India on January 7th, 1925 and is the TV Show Host. At the age of 70, Gerald Durrell biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 70 years old, Gerald Durrell has this physical status:
Gerald Malcolm Durrell (January 1925–January 30, 1995) was a British naturalist, zookeeper, writer, and television presenter.
On the Channel Island of Jersey in 1959, he founded the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Jersey Zoo.
His family's years living in Greece were turned into two television series (My Family and Other Animals, 1987) and one television film (My Family and Other Animals, 2005).
He wrote about forty books, the most notable being My Family and Other Animals (1956).
He was Lawrence Durrell's youngest brother.
Early life and education
On January 7, 1925, Durrell was born in Jamshedpur, British India. Louisa Florence Dixie and Lawrence Samuel Durrell were the fifth and youngest child of his family (an elder brother who died in infancy) of India of English and Indian descent, both of whom were born in India of English and Irish descent. Durrell's father was a British engineer, and the infant Durrell spent the majority of his time in the company of an ayah (nursemaid). Durrell recalled his first visit to a zoo in India and attributed his lifelong passion of animals to this visit.
The family migrated to the United Kingdom shortly after his father's death in 1928 and settled in the Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace, neighborhood of South London. Durrell was enrolled in Wickwood School but stayed at home often, feigning illness.
Early animal expeditions
In May 1946, Durrell left Whipsnade Zoo in order to participate in wildlife research expeditions, but he was refused a spot in the voyages due to his lack of experience. His wildlife expeditions began in 1947 with a trip to the British Cameroons (now part of Cameroon) with ornithologist John Yealland, who was funded by a £3,000 inheritance from his father on turning 21. The animals he brought back were donated to London Zoo, Chester Zoo, Paignton Zoo, Bristol Zoo, Bristol Zoo, and Belle Vue Zoological Gardens. He and two others rode a repeat trip to the British Cameroon in 1949 and a trip to British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1950. On the first of these trips, he met Fon Bafut Achirimbi II, an autocratic West African chieftain who helped him plan future missions.
Durrell housed and fed his captives with the best available ingredients, not trapping animals that have only "show value" or ones that would sell for high prices from collectors. These activities were different from those of previous animal-collecting expeditions, and by the time of his third expedition, he was in financial trouble. Durrell was also in danger with George Cansdale, the London Zoo's superintendent, and the British zoo community had blackballed him and he was unable to find a job in the majority of zoos. He eventually secured a job at Belle Vue Zoo in Manchester, where he stayed for some time.
Durrell started writing amusing autobiographical books to raise funds with Jacquie's encouragement and assistance, as well as Lawrence's advice. He started this because he and Jacquie were in need of money after their marriage and he had no source of income, and he later wrote to finance his expeditions and conservation efforts. His first book, The Overloaded Ark, was a huge success, prompting him to follow up with other similar stories. He only made £50 from British rights (Faber and Faber), but the author earned £500 from the United States rights (Viking Press) for the book, which enabled him to raise money for a fourth expedition to South America in 1954. This, however, was carried out during a political coup d'état in Paraguay and was unsuccessful.
Personal life
After a lengthy courtship, Durrell married Manchester resident Jacqueline ('Jacquie') Wolfenden, who eloped when she was 21 years old due to her father's resistance. In Durrell's sister Margaret's Bournemouth boarding house, the couple lived in a tiny bedsitter. Jacquie joined him on most of his safari trips and helped establish and operate the Jersey Zoo. In addition, she wrote two amusing, best-selling memoirs based on Durrell's books in order to raise funds for conservation efforts. They separated and divorced in 1979, blaming the pressures of his job and their alcoholism.
Gerald married American Lee McGeorge Wilson, who attended a lecture at Duke University in North Carolina in 1977, where she was a doctoral student. He was 52 years old when he was born in Berlin, and she was 28 years old. Both were enthusiastic naturalists. They were married until his death.