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What’s New? Keep up to date with the latest news on Jersey
What’s new?
Baby gorilla joins the troop at Jersey Zoo
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Durrell celebrated the birth of a baby western lowland gorilla at Jersey Zoo late last year, when 25-year-old Bahasha gave birth to a beautiful baby. Gordon Hunt, Deputy Head of Mammals, said: “The entire team at Durrell is absolutely thrilled with the news and we are so pleased that Bahasha and her infant are doing well. This birth is a great success for Durrell and the western lowland gorilla captive breeding programme. With this species being severely threatened in the wild, every newborn is an important addition to the captive population.”
Photo by Mark Beresford Grand designs for Jersey Airport
Jersey Airport’s £42m revamp, launched by Ports of Jersey, will see the eventual removal of airfield obstacles, construction of a new integrated departures and arrivals facility, and relocation of the airport’s rescue and fire service building, as well as construction of a new two-storey passenger pier.
On behalf of Ports of Jersey, Group CEO Matt Thomas said: “This project is one of the most significant construction projects undertaken on the island in recent years. In effect, we are creating a ‘new’ airport, which ultimately will future-proof our operational needs, meet the growth ambitions of our airline partners and provide a fantastic travel experience for our customers.”
Channel Islands join the Liberation Route
Jersey has become a member of the international Remembrance Trail and is now part of the Liberation Route Europe, which shares WWII knowledge and stories with the general public.
Jersey’s liberation-related points of interest for the route include Elizabeth Castle, Liberation Square and Noirmont Point. Visitors can follow a digital route via the website or mobile app, which enables them to navigate points of interest along the route. They are then provided with written, pictorial, audio and video histories of the locations and their role in the liberation of Europe during WWII.
Chris Addy, Sites Curator at Jersey Heritage, said: “We hope that our involvement in the initiative will help to raise awareness of the unique Channel Islands perspective, and encourage visitors to follow in the
footsteps of our liberators, particularly in the year of the 75th anniversary.”
National Trust for Jersey and The Jersey Royal Company have joined forces to plant thousands of metres of native hedgerow corridors throughout Jersey to reduce the island’s carbon footprint and boost biodiversity.
Over 30 species of birds on the island rely on hedges for nesting and the RSPB reports that hedgerows support up to 80% of woodland birds, 50% of mammals, up to 30% of butterfly species, and provide a valuable habitat for amphibians. Additionally, a well-managed 100m length of mature hedgerow has the potential to sequester or store up to 120kg of Co 2 per year, contributing to the island’s aim of becoming carbon neutral within the next decade.
National Trust for Jersey stated: “We have been able to initiate an immensely important hedgerow restoration project, which will secure enormous environmental benefits for the island in the longer term. We hope to be able to further develop this initial pilot project in years to come.”
