Editing Gerald Durrell (section)

=== Jersey Zoo and the Wildlife Trust ===
[[File:Dodo, Jersey Zoo.jpg|thumb|180px|left|[[Dodo]]s stand guard at the gates of the [[Jersey Zoo]]|alt=A statue of a dodo on top of a gatepost]]The zoo in Jersey opened on 26 March 1959, and Jacquie packed up the Durrells' belongings in Bournemouth and moved them to Jersey while Gerald was still in Argentina. She met him at Tilbury Docks when his ship docked, and he travelled with the animals as they were re-embarked for Jersey.  The animals arrived on 16 June.  Both Durrells were surprised to find that Smith had not followed the detailed blueprint for the zoo's layout that he had been given before the South America trip, though Smith had had to make decisions based on the resources he had available.  The Durrells, along with Louisa who moved in with them, settled into Les Augrès, many of whose accommodations soon became devoted to caring for sick animals.<ref>Botting (1999), pp. 279–282.</ref>

Durrell had still not completed the book about the third Cameroons expedition, and again Jacquie found it very difficult to get him to finish writing it.  It was published in 1960 as ''[[A Zoo in My Luggage]]'' to good reviews and became one of his most popular books.<ref>Botting (1999), pp. 287–288.</ref>  The zoo of the title was operational, but in constant financial trouble: equipment was makeshift, staff were underpaid, and after a year the staff were called to a meeting and told that bankruptcy was possible.  They responded with cost-saving ideas, and the zoo survived, but the financial problems persisted for years.<ref>Botting (1999), p. 289.</ref>  Durrell drew no salary, and obtained a loan for £20,000 (equivalent to £{{formatprice|{{inflation|UK|20000|1960|r=-4}}}} in {{Inflation/year|UK}}) as capital for the zoo, and in 1960 and 1961 took on several more writing projects to bring in money.  An account of the trip to Argentina, ''[[The Whispering Land]]'', was accompanied by two children's books, ''Island Zoo'' and ''Look at Zoos'', along with articles and broadcast appearances.<ref>Botting (1999), pp. 292–293.</ref>  In May 1960, in the midst of these projects, the Durrells took a six-week break on Corfu, revisiting the scenes of Gerald's childhood, with Louisa accompanying them on the trip.  Durrell was relieved to find the island much less changed than he had feared.<ref>Botting (1999), pp. 294–295.</ref>  The limited footage shot in Argentina could not support the programme series that Durrell had hoped for, but one programme was made from it in 1961, and the BBC commissioned another series, called ''Zoo Packet'', the same summer.<ref>Botting (1999), p. 297.</ref>

In 1962 Durrell and the BBC collaborated on an expedition with the goal of a television series that focused on conservation issues.  The itinerary took them to New Zealand, Australia, and finally [[Federation of Malaya|Malaya]]; a planned trip to East Africa was cancelled at the last minute.  On their return, they found the zoo on the verge of financial collapse.<ref>Botting (1999), pp. 301–306.</ref>  A financial manager was hired and given complete control of the budget, but more was needed.  An appeal was launched, in conjunction with a plan to give control of the zoo to a trust.  Donations came in, and Durrell continued writing: ''Menagerie Manor'' was an account of the first four years of the zoo's existence, and he also worked on the scripts for ''Two in the Bush'', the BBC series based on the 1962 trip.<ref>Botting (1999), pp. 307–312.</ref>  In July 1963, the [[Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust]] was created and given ownership of the zoo; Durrell remained in control, as director of the trust.<ref>Botting (1999), p. 313.</ref>