I've always been adamant: dodos are my favourite animal (next to dogs, of course). I don't remember when,exactly I decided this - but it's been a good decade. I've the merch and pictures to prove it. 

Dodo pen? Check! 

Dodo tea towel? Check!

Dodo keychain? Postcard? Mug? Check! Check! Check!

Ridiculously overpriced stuffed dodo I've named Pickles? Check!

Not to mention virtual dodos! You can raise dodos through a mod in Minecraft, have an army of them in Skyrim (also a mod), and ‘fly’ with them in Animal Crossing.

There's the literary connection, too, I have to mention (and to stop flexing my dodo collection). Dodos are featured by some of my favourite authors from Lewis Carroll to Jasper Fforde to Jodi Taylor. Charles Dickens (subject of my PhD alongside robots, but that’s another conversation) wrote a rather scathing hotel review of a hotel in Staffordshire that he called 'the Dodo' (it was actually called 'The Swan'). "If the Dodo," he writes, "were only a gregarious bird - if he had only some confused idea of making a comfortable net - I could hope to get through the hours between this and bed-time, without being consumed by devouring melancholy." (Dickens, Household Words, 24 April 1852). 

And then there’s also the short cartoon 'The Lonely Dodo' that first brought Durrell to my attention. You can find that here: https://youtu.be/tvD4fRHstuU

Before Covid, Durrell was on my dodo 'to-do' list - right from the moment I read the words 'Dodo Restaurant'. Of course, it's the getting there that was difficult. So I kept my eye on the Durrell Conservation Trust and the Jersey Zoo with a 'one day' outlook. Then Covid happened. No one's going anywhere for a while. When I saw Durrell made their yearly run virtual in 2020, I didn't think much of it. I don't run - I can't run - and not in a 'don't know if you don't try' way. The short story to that is: I've a broken bar (put in during scoliosis correction surgery) attached to my lower spine and nerve damage in my leg. I can't walk or stand for prolonged periods of time without a bit of help - but I can walk. I love to walk. That's why, when I took a more in-depth look at the Durrell Challenge this year and saw the virtual run can be walked, I decided I had to take part.

The first recorded mention of a dodo was in 1598 - the last sighting (likely) in 1662. In less than a century the dodo became extinct. Why? Unlike the saying 'dumb as a dodo', these flightless birds weren't dumb. They were perfectly fine and dandy existing in their natural habitat - minding their own business. But then humans and other invasive species began to hunt them. Their habitat was destroyed. And then there were none - save in books, toys, and games. The Durrell Conservation Trust exists to help save endangered species, concentrating on ‘the rewinding of animals, the rewinding of ecosystems and the rewinding of people.’ This means that you’re not just helping the at risk species - you’re helping to maintain and promote their natural habits.

The world has changed a lot from 1662 and countless more species have gone the way of the dodo. While Durrell can’t bring the dodo back so you can create your personal dodo army, you can help them in saving other species.*

On this 13K walk, I’ll be bringing along a trio of dodos (Pickles and friends) and will be snapping pictures along whatever route I decide to take. You can follow their adventures on 23 May on Instagram and Twitter using #SavageDodos - hope you join us!

*not to become personal [insert endangered species] armies, obviously.

_____

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.