He was born in Jameshedpur, India of British parents who returned to the UK after the death of his father in 1928, but moved to mainland Europe in 1933 so he became used to travelling at an early age.
His family eventually settled on the Greek island of Corfu, where he began to collect (and keep as pets) the local fauna. The family left Corfu in 1939
In 1945, he joined Whipsnade Zoo as a junior keeper.
His wildlife expeditions began with a 1947 trip to the area that eventually became the country of Cameroon (financed by a £3,000 inheritance) and continued for many decades, during which time he became famous for his work for wildlife conservation.
On July 6 1963, he establised the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust, known since his death as the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, to establish, at his zoo, breeding colonies of endangered species.
Durrell's books, which include several novels for children, have a wry but delightful style that poked fun at himself as well as those around him. Many feel his best work is My Family and Other Animals (1956), which tells of his idyllic childhood years on Corfu. It is delightfully deprecating of his whole family, especially elder brother Lawrence Durrell, who became a famous novelist. Nonetheless, the two were close friends all their lives. The book was also made into a television series.
Durrell was assisted by his wife Lee McGeorge Durrell, whom he met in 1977 when he gave a lecture at Duke University in North Carolina where Lee, a zoology instructor, was studying for a PhD.
He also appeared extensively on television, and received the Order of the British Empire in 1982.
Nonfiction books by Gerald Durrell