Dr Lee Durrell

Dr Lee Durrell, Honorary Director, was born in Memphis, Tennessee on 7th September 1949. Her interest in the natural world emerged early, and as a child she would spend hours filling empty doll boxes with collections of animals. She later studied philosophy at Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia, before enrolling in a graduate programme at Duke University to study animal behaviour in 1971. Lee became fascinated by animal communication, and conducted research for her PhD on the calls of mammals and birds in a politically turbulent Madagascar.

In 1977, Gerald Durrell was invited to give a lecture at Duke University where Lee was writing up her PhD thesis and running biology courses, and the rest, as they say, is history! Gerry and Lee were married in 1979, and before long Lee became involved with the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust's (then JWPT) established breeding programmes. She later influenced the development of new overseas projects, and for many years was the co-ordinator of the Trust's Madagascar Programme.

When Gerry passed away in January 1995, Lee succeeded him as Honorary Director of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and maintains an active involvement in the Trust's work, both in Jersey and overseas.