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Ahead of the upcoming vote on the future of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the charity's former Head of Mammals has spoken about his sadness at leaving the organisation – and his fears for its future.
The Extraordinary General Meeting is set to take place on Thursday 2 May at 18:00 at the Freedom Centre in St Helier, following a formal request from 62 members, including some former staff, from a group called 'We Love the Zoo'.
The resolution proposed for debate is:
“Because the members have lost confidence in the ability of the Board of Trustees of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust to protect and maintain the legacy of Gerald Durrell, the Board of Trustees should resign and an independent investigation should be carried out into all aspects of the current and recent management's running of the zoo.”
After Head of Mammals Dominic Wormell left the Zoo last summer, he fired several parting shots at Durrell on social media – acting as a catalyst for other members to speak out about concerns regarding conditions for both animals and staff.
Speaking to Express, Mr Wormell said that Durrell was supposed to be an organisation where Gerald Durrell's "hopes and dreams and things he cared about" were fostered.
He said leaving that behind after 34 years was "really difficult".
Pictured: Members of the 'We Love the Zoo' group raised concerns about conditions for both animals and staff.
"It hurts, of course it still hurts," he said.
"I want to bounce out of bed and get up early so that I could walk the dog... it's not like other jobs.
"Any person who works with animals cares passionately about the animals they care for. So it's tough."
Mr Wormell first visited the Zoo in 1988 and started working there in 1989 after seeing its conservation mission in action on a training course.
He became one of its most senior staff and is, among other things, credited with the creation of the bat tunnel as well as being a key figure in the conservation of tamarins.
Mr Wormell is now using his expertise as part of the Tamarin Trust, which he set up with former colleagues.
Mr Wormell said that, after leaving the Zoo, his membership application was refused on two separate occasions – once in autumn 2023 and once in the spring of 2024.
In both instances, he received a letter informing him that his membership was not "in the interest of the Trust at this particular time".
He described it as "extremely hurtful" after working for Durrell for for 34 years.
Long-time Durrell supporter Joya Ghose, who opposed the direction the Zoo on social media following Mr Wormell's departure, also saw her membership application refused.
Pictured: Mr Wormell first visited the Zoo in 1988 and started working there in 1989 after seeing its conservation mission in action on a training course.
A letter sent to Ms Ghose in December 2023 and seen by Express said: "We appreciate your interest in becoming a member of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and we would like to express our gratitude for your support of our mission to save species from extinction.
"After careful consideration, however, we regret to inform you that your membership application has not been approved at this time. The decision is based on our assessment of the best interests of the charity."
When asked for a response, Durrell said they did not comment on individual memberships.
Mr Wormell, speaking ahead of the organisation's EGM on Thursday, said he had seen changes in the Zoo's management in recent years, with conservation work taking a back seat.
He also said that although a new strategic collection plan had been due in 2019, this had not been produced, with instead "a very broad brush plan for rewilding sites".
He added that Durrell's modus operandi had been to learn from its work at Jersey Zoo and use those observations at its rewilding sites – but with a "hollowed out" staff, it risked losing this built-in-Jersey expertise.
"We need to get back on message," he said. "Durrell is about the underdogs and Durrell is about championing the underdogs.
"Let's make champions out of them. Every other zoo is making champions out of communal garden animals.
"Let's break new ground so others can follow."
Pictured: Former Head of Mammals Dominic Wormell worked at Durrell for 34 years.
Mr Wormell continued: "I care passionately about Jersey Zoo and its future, and the members [of We Love The Zoo] do.
"So many long-term members of staff are calling for change calling for a review. It would be silly to ignore those voices. They know exactly what's going on."
Should the motion not be successful, Mr Wormell estimated that the We Love The Zoo group would wait until the next AGM – due to take place in September or October this year – to bring a similar motion again.
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