Sometimes it's pretty hard to tell them apart... my family and the animals, that is. I don't know why my brothers and sisters complain so much. With snakes in the bath and scorpions on the lunch table, our house, on the island of Corfu, is a bit like a circus. So they should feel right at home...

Gerald Durrell (1925-1995) moved from England to Corfu with his family at the age of eight. He spent much of his time studying the island's wildlife, and surprising his family by keeping lots of very unusual pets in very unexpected places. He grew up to be a famous naturalist and conservationalist, leading expeditions to exotic places such as Argentina, Sierra Leone, Assam and Madagascar. Over his lifetime he presented many TV shows, and wrote 37 books, including MY FAMILY AND OTHER ANIMALS and its two sequels, BIRDS, BEASTS AND RELATIVES and THE GARDEN OF THE GODS. He founded Jersey Zoo in 1959 as a centre for the conservation of endangered species, and in 1963 he created the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust - later renamed Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust - of which his wife Lee is still Honorary Director. He was awarded the OBE in 1982.