FAQs

When will you contact me to transfer my membership?

To ensure a smooth transition, we will be working in stages to contact each of you personally about our new exciting memberships that enable you to build your own package. Existing members do not need to do anything until you hear from us, however, it is important that your contact details are correct and up to date.

• If you pay for your membership as a one-off payment, you will be contacted one month before your renewal date. You are entitled to retain your current membership until then. Annual memberships will be contacted from 1 September 2021 onwards.
• If you pay for your membership by monthly or annual Direct Debit, you will be contacted from October 2021.

If you would like to transfer to the new plan before your renewal date, please contact the Supporter Care team on supportercare@durrell.org or phone 01534 860111 / 860077.

It costs over £4,000 a day to care for the animals at Jersey Zoo and together with our global conservation work we need to raise £700,000 a month to continue our mission of saving species from extinction. As a charity, we rely on the support of our members, donors and zoo visitors to enable us to continue saving some of the world’s rarest wildlife both at Jersey Zoo and at our rewilding sites around the world. The last membership price increase was in August 2014 and over the past seven years the costs of running a zoo and carrying out hands-on conservation work across the globe have continued to rise as the pressures facing the natural world increase.

Your membership will pay for itself in just three visits, making it incredibly good value and providing vital funds so that, together, we can create a wilder, healthier, more colourful world.

Durrell has advised members that there will be a change in membership structure and cost for several years. To inform decision making, we have carried out extensive research, cost comparison, and reviewed the results of the Durrell Supporter Survey in 2021.

Members will continue to receive the same great benefits as before, including:

• Unlimited free entry to Jersey Zoo all year round (excluding events and Christmas Day)
• Twice-yearly Wild Life magazine
• 10% discount in our gift shop and cafés (minimum spend of £5)
• 10% discount on Animal Experiences
• Two Members’ Days per year where you can bring a friend to the zoo for free
• Advance notice of Durrell’s exciting events
• Supporting Durrell to save and protect some of the world’s rarest wildlife
  
  

The new membership plan offers you greater flexibility and the opportunity to build your membership in a way that suits you.

The decision to update our memberships has been made with the best interests of Durrell and its future financial sustainability in mind. Over the last two years, we have undertaken an extensive review of our membership plan including surveys of past and present members, and reviewing the memberships of zoos in the UK and other family attractions in Jersey.

Our members are a vital part of the Durrell family and in the words of our founder, Gerald Durrell, they are ‘the backbone of the Trust’. The long-term support of our members means we can plan for the future and continue to save species from extinction.

Early in 2021, to meet the requirements of the new discrimination regulations, we updated our accessibility and disability policy so that essential carers gain free access to the zoo.

Please read our Accessibility and Disability policy. 

You can now purchase a Registered Disabled membership as a concession at a reduced cost. If you require an essential carer to visit with you, please show your valid membership card and supporting ID and the essential carer will access the zoo free of charge.    

Our aim is to make the zoo accessible for people of all needs and abilities, and promote equal opportunities to enable those who will benefit most to enjoy the wellbeing and environmental benefits of connecting to nature. 

We stopped selling 'Member and Guest’ memberships, which allowed the admittance of an un-named guest to the zoo, in November 2016. This was due to continued confusion about the terms of use of this membership, with guests trying to gain access to Jersey Zoo without the named member in attendance. We have allowed these to be renewed since 2016, but as we are now launching a brand new, more flexible scheme, this will no longer be possible.

The decision to update our memberships has been made with the best interests of Durrell and its future financial sustainability in mind.

Our Life and Gardien memberships, however, do retain this benefit. Please contact the Supporter Care team on supportercare@durrell.org or phone 01534 860111 / 860077 to find out more.

As part of our recent changes, the new membership plan offers you greater flexibility and the opportunity to build a membership for every type of family, not just two adults and three children. Therefore, we no longer offer family or joint memberships and allow supporters to purchase their memberships individually, with everyone having their own membership card, creating a more personalised experience for our members.

In April 2021 our team conducted a Durrell Supporter Survey, which was sent to 18,000 email subscribers, as well as posted on social media and advertised on posters at Jersey Zoo. 2,586 surveys were completed, and these results helped to inform and shape the new membership scheme.   

Membership of Durrell starts from £3.25 a month and offers excellent value for money, with access to the zoo 364 days a year. Every membership pays for itself in three visits to Jersey Zoo and also supports our global work saving species from extinction. We appreciate that for some members (such as those on the reduced-price UK / overseas plan) the new prices may represent a significant increase. Your support means so much to us and is vital to our continued mission to save species from extinction.

For our long-standing members who feel unable to retain their membership, we would be delighted to discuss alternative means of support, such as switching to an annual or monthly donation. Please contact our Supporter Care team on supportercare@durrell.org or 01534 860111 / 860077 to discuss further. Existing members switching to alternative forms of support can ask to continue to receive Wild Life magazine.

Membership of Durrell starts from £3.25 a month and offers excellent value for money, with access to the zoo 364 days a year. Every membership pays for itself in three visits to the zoo and also supports our global work saving species from extinction.  

Jersey charities can apply for tickets to distribute to those who may not have the finances to enjoy a day at the zoo. Durrell’s Access to Nature Fund provides charitable organisations with an application process to gain funded entry to the zoo or annual memberships for the individuals they support. Funded by an award from the Association of Jersey Charities, the total value of the fund is £20,000, with the equivalent value of tickets and memberships distributed twice a year. Find out more here.

As an international charity, Durrell delivers hands-on conservation to save the wild animals and wild places that are vital for the health of our planet. The money raised through our memberships supports our conservation projects, contributes to the running of Jersey Zoo, and helps our dedicated team around the world achieve our ambitious goals.

It costs £130,000 a month to care for the zoo’s 100 species of animal. In addition, there are outgoings for maintaining the site, as well as our global rewilding projects, conservation training, educational programmes and scientific research. In total, it costs approximately £700,000 a month to continue our mission of saving species from extinction.

All Dodo Club members will be transferred onto the new plan as child members. The same great benefits still apply for child members too.

Each child will receive their own card, making it much easier to visit with friends and family.

We are also exploring how we can reintroduce a club and further activities for children in the future. We hope to achieve this in partnership with our members.

We appreciate that when visiting the zoo our members do not always have photo identification with them. To make your admission into the zoo as fast and efficient as possible, we will be taking photos of our members to add to their membership records, removing the need to bring photo identification. Our supporters’ feedback and suggestions are valued, and we are pleased to say that we have acted on this member-led initiative.

We no longer offer family or joint memberships, therefore, upon moving to the new membership plan all members will receive their own new individual membership card. To make your visit as enjoyable as possible, please make sure you have all the necessary cards with you. Alternatively, please take photos of your cards to show the Visitor Centre team.

Once you have transitioned to your new membership and received your new card, you will retain this on renewal, so please hold on to it. If you lose or misplace your card there will be a £5 replacement fee to cover printing and postage. If your name has changed or there is a mistake on your card, please contact the Supporter Care team for a replacement.

The membership cards are 100% degradable and will break down harmlessly when they are thrown away.

Our supporters have shared with us that having a membership number and a supporter ID number can be confusing. To help with this we will only be using your supporter ID number to identify your membership.

We know that some membership numbers are important, especially for supporters who have been members for many decades. We are happy for you to keep your old card as memorabilia and hope you understand that the introduction of a supporter ID will help Durrell and our team be more efficient, allowing us to provide the best possible service for our supporters.

Your membership entitles you to unlimited entry to Jersey Zoo during ordinary opening hours only. Our opening hours vary during summer and winter seasons. Although we will endeavour to keep to advertised opening hours, there may be occasions where it is necessary to change opening hours or close areas at short notice for safety, private hire, or any other reason.

Members who choose to receive updates by email and follow us on social media will receive advance notice of our exciting events, some of which will be discounted for members. Membership does not entitle members to free entry to special events, tours or other activities at Jersey Zoo, which require additional payment.

You can click here to read the full membership Terms and Conditions.