WATCH: Young Tortoises Go On Show

Friday, 16 June 2023 10:41

65 small tortoises - decorated by schools, charities and community groups - are in position in shop windows and buildings around the island.

They are a teaser for the main trail of much larger artist-designed sculptures that will go show next month.

31 schools and 23 community groups got involved in the project, thanks to support from sponsors RBC and BDO.

"The creative efforts and enthusiasm from all of the participating schools and community groups has been fantastic to see.

Now that the trail is ready to go we hope that everyone loves the beautiful designs and that we can all spend the summer exploring the island as a community!” - Fiona Marchant, Conservation Learning Manager at Durrell.

One of the young tortoises has been produced by students at Victoria College.

Victoria College headmaster Gareth Hughes says it has been a thrill to take part:

"So many of our students took the opportunity to get creative on the tortoise designs. It was a joy to then see older and younger children working collaboratively to bring those designs to life.

Durrell is a wonderful charity and our community also loved being able to support its valuable conservation work through raising awareness of their work and fundraising. We now can't wait to see our colourful little tortoises heading out around the island this summer!”

A map of where you can find the young tortoises.

After the trail, the young tortoises will join the giant tortoise sculptures at the zoo for a farewell weekend.

They will then be returned to the schools and groups that created them.

The Tortoise Takeover Trail, which goes live in July, is raising money for a new reptile enclosure for Jersey Zoo.

It follows the success in 2019 of the 'Go Wild Gorillas' trail which raised more than £1.1m for a new home for the primates.