DURRELL is marking 50 years of Princess Anne being a patron of the charity by gifting the royal a giant-tortoise sculpture designed by a local artist.
A public art trail featuring the huge reptiles will be on show at different locations around Jersey next summer, following the success of the Go Wild Gorillas trail in 2019.
Once the trail is over, a sculpture will be gifted to the Princess Royal as a token of appreciation from the charity.
Durrell has put out a call to the public for tortoise design submissions, however the sculpture for Princess Anne will be by invitation only, and need to reflect her commitment to the trust.
Durrell’s chief executive officer Dr Lesley Dickie said: ‘Over the last 50 years, the Princess has visited our projects around the world, including Mauritius, Brazil and Madagascar. Her Royal Highness’s knowledge, passion and belief in our mission to save species from extinction is an inspiration to the Durrell team and our loyal supporters.’
She added: ‘This giant tortoise will be a real highlight of the trail next summer. All of us at Durrell are looking forward to seeing Islanders and visitors exploring the trail, discovering the colourful tortoise designs and connecting to nature along the way.’
