Jersey Zoo — Zoo in Trinity

Jersey Zoo and its collection

Jersey Zoo, opened in 1959, is a zoo in Trinity, Jersey.

The zoo is run by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and its collection passes 130 species drawn from four vertebrate groups. Attendance reached 209,474 in 2023, the highest figure in four years.

History

Gerald Durrell, who had previously collected animals for other zoos, started it in 1959 with the intention of giving it a conservation purpose, and recounted the founding in his book Menagerie Manor. A future strategy under the name New Vision was announced in January 2008. Niall Husbands succeeded Matthew Hatchwell as chair of the Trust in 2025.

Animals and collection

Western lowland gorillas have been kept since the 1959 opening, beginning with an infant female called N'Pongo.

Exhibits

Cloud Forest, dating from 1999, was the first mixed-species enclosure on the site and included carnivores, while Jewels of the Forest, an Asian bird exhibit, followed in 2004. Discovery Desert, opened in April 2009, gave the meerkats more room and stopped them tunnelling out. The Pavilion, opened by Princess Anne in the 1970s, doubles as conference space and classroom, and a camp of twelve dome tents on wooden decks was begun in early 2012 for paying overnight guests.

What the venue says

• Eco Explorers Playground
• Keeper Talks & VR Experiences
• Café Dodo: Located in the heart of the zoo grounds, serving family-friendly hot lunches, local seasonal specials, and kids' meal boxes.
• By Car: Located at Les Augres Manor, Trinity. The zoo provides a massive on-site parking lot with free parking for over 300 cars.
• The zoo is built within a gentle valley, featuring wide, well-signed, mostly flat gravel and paved pathways.
• Nearly all main exhibits offer step-free access.
• Manual wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and strollers are available to hire from the visitor centre for a refundable deposit (advance booking advised).