Zoo reduces annual deficit and increases income

A zoo reduced its annual deficit and grew its overall income last year despite financial pressures.

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, which runs Jersey Zoo, has reported a net deficit of £3.9m in 2025, an improvement on the £4.4m deficit recorded in 2024.

The report said the trust's overall income had grown from £12.2m in 2024 to £13.1m in 2025, despite an increased spending total of £17.4m in 2025, compared with £17m in 2024.

The trusts' chief executive Rebecca Brewer said the financial strain had been "no surprise" and it had been a "challenging few years".

The trust's chairman Niall Husbands a new income committee had been formed to focus on financial sustainability and long-term resilience by streamlining finances and identifying new opportunities.

Chief executive Rebecca Brewer said the team was planning to raise more money through visits and commercial ventures, as well as donations and grants.

She said: "We know we have great support here in Jersey but our work also goes beyond the shores of Jersey and we really want that to be also known more broadly."

"We really took the time to reflect and to look to the future.

"We're really focused on building a solid and stable foundation for Durrell many years into the future," she said.

The report showed the trust had helped 116 threatened species on the road to recovery in 2025 by managing them in the wild, at breeding centres and at Jersey Zoo.

The trust said it had also helped more than a million people better connect with nature and had met its goal to rewild 10 ecosystems.

Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.