List of expeditions by Gerald Durrell explained

This is a list of animal collecting and conservation expeditions led by Gerald Durrell.

Major expeditions

Year Place Primary purpose Book Film Species in focus
1947 / 1948Mamfe, British Cameroons (now Cameroon)Independent animal collecting mission for British zoosThe Overloaded ArkAngwantibo, giant otter shrew
1949Mamfe and Bafut, British Cameroons (now Cameroon)Independent animal collecting mission for British zoosThe Bafut BeaglesGalago, hairy frog, African golden cat, flying mouse
1950British Guiana (now Guyana)Independent animal collecting mission for British zoosThree Singles to AdventureGiant otter, poison arrow frogs, Surinam toad, capybara, Brazilian porcupine, curassow
1953 / 1954Argentina and ParaguayPartially sponsored animal collecting missionThe Drunken ForestBurrowing owl, hornero, anaconda, rhea, giant anteater
1957Bafut, British Cameroons (now Cameroon)Animal collecting mission for his own to-be zooA Zoo in My LuggageTo Bafut With BeaglesPatas, galago, grey-necked rockfowl
1958Patagonia, ArgentinaAnimal collecting mission for his own Jersey ZooThe Whispering LandLook (Argentinian Expedition)South American fur seal, Patagonian hare, vampire bat, Magellanic penguin
1962Malaysia, and Australia and New ZealandShooting of the BBC Nature series Two in the BushTwo in the BushTwo in the Bushkākāpō, kākā, kea, takahē, tuatara, Sumatran rhinoceros, Leadbeater's possum
1965Sierra LeoneAnimal collecting mission for Jersey Zoo to be made into a TV series by BBCSection of Catch Me a ColobusCatch Me a ColobusColobus, African leopard, red river hog, potto
1968MexicoAnimal collecting mission for Jersey ZooSection of Catch Me a ColobusVolcano rabbit, thick-billed parrot
1969Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory and Queensland, AustraliaConservation fact-finding mission, with possible material for book never writtenGreat Barrier Reef species
1976, 1977Mauritius and other Mascarene IslandsTwo back-to-back conservation missions and animal collecting expeditions for local breeding and the Jersey ZooGolden Bats and Pink PigeonsThe Mauritius Conservation Mission, The Round Island ProjectPink pigeon, Rodrigues fruit bat, Round Island boa, Telfair's skink, Gunther's gecko, Mauritius kestrel
1978Assam, India and BhutanConservation mission and filming for an episode in a BBC series"Animals Are My Life" episode in The World About Us seriesPigmy hog
1982Mauritius and other Mascarene Islands and MadagascarConservation mission and animal collecting expedition for local breeding and Jersey Zoo to be filmed for a BBC TV series about the Trust's role in other countriesArk on the MoveArk on the MovePink pigeon, Rodrigues fruit bat, Round Island boa, Telfair's skink, Gunther's gecko, Mauritius kestrel, indri, Madagascan boa
1984Soviet UnionShooting of the Channel 4 TV series Durrell in RussiaDurrell in RussiaDurrell in RussiaPrzewalski's horse, saiga, cranes, Russian desman
1989BelizeAs part of Programme for Belize — a conservation project which aimed to conserve 250,000 acres (1000 km2) of tropical rain forestBelizean rain forest species
1990MadagascarConservation mission and animal collecting expedition for local breeding and Jersey ZooThe Aye-Aye and ITo the Island of Aye-AyeAye-aye, indri, ring-tailed lemur, Alaotran lemur, tenrec