As a kid I grew up reading Gerald Durrell’s stories, most of which were based on his frankly astounding life.  From his childhood growing up in Greece with a cast of hilarious humans and animals, to his adulthood collecting ever more exotic and personable creatures in distant counties, his books enthralled me for hours.

Once he grew older, Durrell started a zoo.  His goal was two-fold, to educate Britain about the natural world, and to establish breeding populations of endangered species for eventual reintroduction to the wild.  To further his aim (and to alleviate the financial burden his lofty plans inevitably required) he created the Durrell Trust.  They work all over the world to educate not only the general public, but also to train scientists working with endangered species.  Naturally, the Trust’s logo is a dodo bird.

Durrell Trust accepts donations or you can browse their store for something cool- or an animal to adopt.