GERALD DURRELL - Excess Baggage audio

The August 12th episode of BBC Radio 4's Excess Baggage travel show (presented by John McCarthy) was about Animal Conservation and discusses how animals are becoming some people's primary reason for travel because of their fascination with the natural world, conservation, and other environmental causes.

The particular episode of Excess Baggage features an interview with Lee Durrell, widow of renowned author and conservationist Gerald Durrell (The Aye-Aye and I). She discusses their work on Madagascar and Mauritius, which are augmented with archive audio clips of Gerald Durrell in action. The full show is available as streaming audio from the Excess Baggage site, along with a huge library of past shows.

Dr Lee Durrell, widow of the renowned animal conservationist Gerald Durrell, talks about her work and travels to ensure the continuation of her late husband's wildlife conservation projects; Nicole Yde-Poulsen, Expedition Coordinator at EarthWatch explains the link between the scientific research which forms the backbone of the institute and the experience of travel through their volunteer programme.

Guy Grieve, author of Call of the Wild - My Escape to Alaska recounts his adventures after surviving for a year in the Alaskan wilderness, armed with only the most basic equipment.

You'll find links to other relevant episodes of Excess Baggage from our audio category on the right-hand side-bar.