The dodo, a large, land bird, totally exterminated in 1693, became the symbol of this zoo, created by naturalist Gerald Durrell (1925-1995). His ambition was to create a refuge in which endangered species could live in conditions as close as possible to their natural habitat, to which they could possibly be one day able to return... Over 1,400 animals (mammals, reptiles and amphibians) roam free in 10ha of splendid rolling parkland.