Deloitte Jersey is sponsoring a giant tortoise sculpture in the Tortoise Takeover Trail this year, helping to raise funds to build a new Tropical House at Jersey Zoo.
Tortoises, as well as turtles and terrapins, are now the most threatened vertebrate group and need help more than ever.
The amphibian and reptile house at Jersey Zoo is home to some of the most endangered species that Durrell works with and is in urgent need of improved and more sustainable facilities.
In 2019, the Deloitte-sponsored Gorilla sculpture, ‘The Space Between Us’, by Andy Coutanche raised a world record-breaking £72,000 – the highest-ever recorded amount for a Wild in Art sculpture, with funds helping to build Jersey Zoo’s gorilla family a new indoor home.
Earlier this year, sponsors were asked to shortlist their favourite tortoise designs, and local Jersey artist Lucy Fleming’s (pictured) design ‘Harriet,’ caught the eye of the team at Deloitte Jersey.
Lucy’s inspiration for ‘Harriet’ came from Darwin’s theory of evolution, his journey, findings, and specimens from the Galapagos islands. Lucy is using left-over paints to avoid waste and she is using very little acrylic paint to keep Harriet as environmentally friendly as possible.
Deloitte is also getting involved by sponsoring a young tortoise for St Saviour’s Primary School.
“We are delighted to support Durrell with this latest sculpture trail. Durrell play a huge role not only in our local community but also in the wider world, pioneering global conservation work that is increasingly critical for our planet’s future,” said Martin Rowley, Partner at Deloitte.
Alex Shears, Director of Communications and Fundraising at Durrell said: “We are delighted to have Deloitte involved with the trail again this year and are excited to see ‘Harriet’ come to life. The designs for this year’s trail are truly spectacular and we can’t wait to reveal them when the trail goes live.”
