A LEGENDARY ZOO established over 60 years ago has been accused of trying its best to transform into Disneyland.
Jersey Zoo was initially opened to save animals and birds from extinction but it’s said to be now be bringing in just to please crowds.
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Former workers and other insiders have now slammed management, saying they’re just “chasing a quick buck”.
Gerald Durrell founded the zoo by Gerald Durrell back in 1959. Since then, it has become known for groundbreaking scientific research.
Gerald Durrell had written a book called My Family and Other Animals about three years earlier. It was this work that inspired the popular series The Durrells.
But now Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, which runs the zoo, is being accused of ruining his legacy and “Disneyfying” the site.
The Times Reports of chaos erupted last week after Dominic Wormell left his position as head mammal.
He said on Facebook that although he was not leaving, there were some changes “that he couldn’t support”.
Dominic said: “The problem with chasing a cheap buck, just going with the common species that adverts and Walt Disney have made popular with the masses, it is a cop-out in many ways, and there’s no evidence it has a sustained impact on revenue.
“Why are we, the zoo community, not making champions of the underdogs, the species that need our help, instead of falling into the same old commercialism?”
Insiders also criticised management’s decision to bring in sloths and Aardvarks instead of endangered wildlife.
Speaking of the zoo’s butterfly house, they said: “It’s beautiful, but they’re not endangered.
“If Durrell is bringing in rare species such as a sloth, just so people can see it up close, but they’re not breeding them or learning from them, then it’s probably against Gerald’s original principles.”
The zoo board, however, fought back and said that it has invested more money than ever before in conservation efforts.
The board said: “Exemplary animal husbandry and welfare will always be our main priority and at the heart of everything we do at Durrell.
“We are proud of the passionate care that we provide for our animals, as well as the many awards that we have received over the years for our ground-breaking work in conservation.”
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