Secret sculpture joins Tortoise Takeover trail

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust would like to ‘offi-shell-y' welcome a new ‘hare-o’ sculpture to the trail. This well-kept secret sculpture, ‘Love to Run’ brings a unique and exciting twist to Tortoise Takeover. 

This elegant hare is nearly two metres tall and has been beautifully painted by renowned local artist Nick Romeril. 

Each week, the hare will be on the move, visiting various tortoises at locations around the island. It joins the trail as a nod to Aesop’s well-known fable ‘The Tortoise and The Hare’. At the end of Tortoise Takeover, the hare will join the other large tortoise sculptures in being auctioned off to raise vital funds for a new reptile and amphibian house at Jersey Zoo. 

Making a big splash with its arrival at St Catherine’s breakwater, it used local rib operator Jersey Seafaris to make its grand entrance.  

Official logistics supplier, Ferryspeed, who has supported Durrell with the transportation and storage of the tortoise sculptures, is sponsoring the hare and will help it ‘hop’ around the island for the trail. 

Talking about this new and unique sculpture Romeo Albuquerque, Freight Operations Manager, Ferryspeed commented: 

“We were absolutely thrilled to be asked to sponsor the hare for Tortoise Takeover and share some of our expertise and resource in logistics to enable Durrell to deliver such a spectacular event. Hopefully, just as the hare, we are perceived as quick and agile travelling the whole island of Jersey. The project has been a delight to work on and has created a real buzz in the business and understanding of what Durrell delivers globally. We are looking forward to popping up all over the island with the hare as we also follow the trail.” 

Dan Luce, Director at Seafaris added: 

“It has been a real privilege to be involved with this project, to have the hare make landfall at St Catherine’s, riding on the bow of a Seafaris vessel, is both exciting and momentous. The team at Durrell have done a fantastic job, the trail is an amazing asset for both islanders and visitors.” 

Dr Lesley Dickie, CEO, Durrell said:

“We are so excited to welcome ‘Love To Run’ to the trail which we hope will surprise and delight both islanders and visitors alike. The fact that the majestic hare sculpture will be located next to different tortoises for the remainder of the trail really adds a fun twist. We are so grateful to the amazing team at Ferryspeed, who have been such amazing support for this trail. They have shared our enthusiasm for this surprise sculpture, and it is thanks to them that we are able to move the hare to a different location every week.”  

Those wanting to see the hare, can keep up to date on its location by following @Jerseytortoises on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, by visiting the official Tortoise Takeover website at www.tortoisetakeover.org or by signing up to receive the Tortoise Takeover newsletter on their website. The hare will not be available on the official Tortoise Takeover app. 

Catch it while you can!