Jersey's island location has been a problem for the Zoo visitor wise. It is an expensive place to get too- not a frequent family destination.
As a result, the sorts of people who mostly visit Jersey Zoo create quite a different atmosphere from the average zoogoers- no litter, no shouting, crying children and crowds- just tranquility and calm- more like a superior country club....
and the cafeteria/restaurant facilities are first class too. Its all very superior- but sadly the island location means it just doesn't get anywhere the numbers of visitors your average zoo does.
The number of tourists visiting Jersey has tumbled in recent years, and all the visitor attractions on the island - not just the zoo - are suffering. When the zoo first opened in 1959, few Britons went abroad for their holidays. In fact, to most people, Jersey WAS abroad, in that you required a plane or a boat to get there. For this reason, it was a popular destination for many people. Over 50 years later, if people think of taking a plane or a boat, it's much further afield that they'll go, feeling that if they're committed on flying somewhere for their annual hols, they may as well go to Italy or Spain. What can be done about it? I wish I knew. I do feel strongly that the zoo should bring in a feline species though. A zoo needs at least one cat species. How about bringing back the Snow Leopards?
I am not surprised, it is as expensive to fly or get there by boat as it is to go to destinations much further afield with guaranted good weather(Jersey being only marginally better weatherwise than the rest of UK) This is the over-riding problem for their Tourist industry as a whole but I don't know what they can do to solve it.
In hindsight The Zoo might have been better located on the UK Mainland , as was originally planned- Bournemouth being the original first choice.
Hi Guys, in actuality, the move away from the title 'Jersey Zoo' was a direct consequence of falling visitor numbers.
With the annual income from tourist trade diminishing to the point where it could no longer cover the cost of conservation fieldwork, the Trust decided to make conservation the priority, and rely more on fundraising and the Durrell Training Academy (formerly the ITC) to carry out the stated mission of 'saving species from extinction' (yes, the English bugs me too... brand, and all).
Semantically, having a 'Zoo' and being a dedicated conservation NGO was seen as possibly attracting negative comments, so it became 'Durrell Wildlife Park', and whilst, in an ideal world, admissions to the attraction would keep Durrell 'in the black' and able to carry out its mission, it's actually no longer the main part of the Trust's fundraising arsenal.
This said, the 'visitor experience' is still taken very seriously, and developments over the next two years will hopefully make Durrell even more unique and worth visiting. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep you posted!
