A tribute to Gerald Durrell

[Guest guest]

Hello,

I recently wrote this electronic version of an article that was

originally written fifteen years ago keeping in mind the 50th anniversary of

Jersey Zoo. This article was my first entry in the English press and has

been appreciated by both Lee Durrell and Jeremy Mallinson who were at the

helm of affairs in Jersey Zoo when I was there. Mallinson has now retired

but Lee Durrell still continues. As a piece of published work, it is quite

close to my heart.

Best wishes and kind regards,

 

*Missing Gerry*

 

*A world of fun, laughter and compassion, reminisces about

his mentor, guru and guide*

 

* *

 

*When a normal child studies in class IV or V, there are endless squabbles

over who is going to read a Hardy Boys, a Famous Five, an Asterix or a

Tintin but when I was that age I could not be bothered to read them, because

I knew what I was going to do. I was going to read a book about animals.*

 

* *

 

*I have been fascinated by animals ever since I can remember and I got to

know of Gerald Durrell from a Bengali book. Since that day I yearned to read

his books and I really pined when I could not lay my hands on them. My first

meeting with Durrell took place in the school library(how well I remember

it) when a friend handed me a copy of Three Singles to Adventure. The joy of

having a Gerald Durrell in my hands! I kissed the book, held it firmly

between my hands and ran about muttering to myself. *

 

* *

 

*On reaching home, once the tutor had left, I jumped at the book. I had the

joy of journeying to British Guyana with my hero. I went past magical rain

forests full of birds and beasts of every colour and description and

embarked on the collecting spree. I was with Durrell when he caught

teguxins(a sort of lizard), sloths, eels, iguanas(another sort of lizard),

and of course, Amos, the Giant Anteater.*

 

* *

 

*Seven days seemed too short a period with Durrell but that was the

introduction to a friend – who would be my hero, mentor, guru and guide for

the next six years until death put an end to our strange and wonderful

relationship on Tuesday, January 31, 1995.*

 

* *

 

*As I grew up, to the consternation of my parents and relatives my interest

in animals, far from abating grew stronger by the day and with it grew the

friendship with Gerald Durrell. No school exercise book could remain free

from my ministrations and any blank space had to be filled with my hero’s

name. I slowly got hold of more Durrell books and my addiction grew. I made

friends with many other colourful characters as well ; the

Magenpies(magpies), Roger(his dog), Ulysses(the Scops Owl) and Quasimodo(the

pigeon) in My Family and Other Animals, Hiawatha(the Hoopoe) and

Esmerelda(the Dormouse) in The Garden of the Gods, Trumpy(The Grey Winged

Trumpeter), Claudius(the Tapir), Leo(The Lion), Whiskers(the Emperor

Tamarin) and Binty(The Binturong) in Menagerie Manor., Nandi, Npongo,

Jambo(all Gorillas) and Oscar(the Orang Utan) in the Stationary Ark. The

list is endless and includes humans like Larry, Leslie, Margo and Mother(My

Family and Other Animals), Coco(The Whispering Land) and others.*

 

* *

 

*Gerald Durrell wrote some books which shifts the focus from animals to

human beings. Who can forget the hilarious Fillets of Plaice, or The Picnic

and Suchlike Pandemonium? Being reminded of Mr Romilly or his girlfriend

Ursula provides heart chuckling pleasure. I feel that Gerald Durrell

portrayed the human race as and how it looked to him and did not try to make

it fall into his own line of thought. Perhaps that is what made his books so

enjoyable. His last book, Marrying off Mother, was sentimental but it still

provides us with a fine picture of human nature. He not only loved animals

but enjoyed life and wanted us to enjoy it with him. *

 

* *

 

*Then I got a new English teacher whom I regarded as an inexhaustible

supplier of Gerald Durrell books. She is one of the very few teachers with

compassion and understanding. I had one more dream to fulfil that was to get

associated with his zoo, the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust. That dream

was realized in October, 1991. Since then the bonds between us strengthened

and have not loosened with his death. He is really a part of me. Gerry, the

little boy in golden Corfu, I hope you can hunt for dung beetles in heaven.*

 

*(Reported by , Calcutta Boys’ School), 31 March, 1995,

VOICES, The Statesman in School.)*