UNITE has seen an influx of Durrell employees join the union over the past 12 to 14 months, according to its regional officer.
James Turner said he planned to survey union members and encouraged any staff members with issues to contact them.
The union representative’s comments come following calls from some Durrell members for the board of trustees to resign amid criticism of the way the Zoo is being run.
Durrell has also been hit by the resignation of another top executive this week, with the organisation confirming that Graeme Dick, who has been the Zoo’s director of operations since October 2021, was leaving by “mutual consent” at the end of the month.
A resolution calling for an extraordinary general meeting reads: “The members have lost confidence in the ability of the trustees to protect and maintain the legacy of Gerald Durrell. We call for the resignation of the board and an independent investigation into all aspects of the current and recent management’s running of the Zoo.”
The JEP understands this resolution has been signed by more than 100 Zoo members.
But responding to the resolution this week, Lee Durrell, who is honorary director of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, asked “those people to stop using Gerald Durrell’s name and legacy to justify their criticisms. Whatever outcomes they seek, Gerry would have been deeply saddened to see the damage done to the trust to which he gave his name and dedicated his life”.
Mr Turner said: “In the last 12 to 14 months we have had an influx of members coming from Durrell.”
He added that he was not able to give out information on numbers.
The union representative said that issues in the workplace had been “rumbling on for some time”.
Several charitable donors also contacted the union as they were concerned about “not only the wellbeing of the animals but also the wellbeing of the staff”, he said.
Head of mammals, Dominic Wormell, a well-respected conservationist, left the Zoo in August – writing on Facebook that there were “changes [he] can’t support”.
Durrell’s chief executive Dr Lesley Dickie resigned in September after criticism of the treatment of staff and animals appeared in national newspapers. And Durrell’s chair of trustees Robert Kirkby stood down a month later.
Dr Dickie was replaced by interim chief executive Rebecca Brewer, with Mr Turner saying he had met Ms Brewer and the senior management team once.
“They listened,” he said, adding that he was told changes had been made following the meeting.
Ms Brewer previously said that she was “dedicated to finding a way forward that reassures everyone that the charity they know and love is still dedicated to Gerald Durrell’s original mission statement – ‘saving species from extinction’.”
The JEP has approached Durrell for comment.
