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As we say a final ‘toodle-oo’ to the tortoise sculptures as they head under the hammer tonight, Express is sharing your favourite snaps of this summer's trail – including pet portraits and 'shell-fies'.
The painted sculptures will be up for auction tonight at The Royal Yacht Hotel during the much-anticipated Tortoise Takeover auction.
This event will mark the conclusion of the public art trail, which saw sculptures decorated by local and international artists take up residence in iconic locations around the island throughout the summer.
A total of 49 giant tortoise sculptures, the 'Love to Run' hare sculpture, and a few special young tortoise sculptures are all up for grabs tonight.
Bidding starts at £3,400 for giant tortoises and £1,500 for young tortoises.
Chimera, the gorilla sculpture that was commissioned as a prequel to Tortoise Takeover, will also be part of the auction.
The evening will be hosted by celebrity auctioneer Charles Hanson who also hosted the Go Wild Gorillas auction in 2019.
The online auction will be running in sync with the ‘in the room’ bids so that you can get your hands on a sculpture no matter where you are in the world.
While the trail has served to raise awareness of Durrell's world-leading conservation work all over the world, the key aim of the sculpture auction is to raise money for a new reptile enclosure to house the many endangered species that are looked after at Jersey Zoo.
The improvements to the facilities will also support Durrell’s team working at rewilding sites around the world, who are undertaking vital research and providing frontline care to these species on the brink.
Director of Fundraising and Communications Alex Shears described tonight's auction as "an event not to be missed".
"Ultimately, the auction is to raise funds to create new reptile and amphibian facilities at Jersey Zoo. As the biodiversity crisis deepens, we need to increase our efforts to conserve these threatened and endangered species."
Pictured: Auctioneer Charles Hanson on stage in 2019 with one of the 'Go Wild' artists Gabriella Street.
"We are delighted to be welcoming back Charles Hanson as our auctioneer, who bought the house down in 2019, raising over £1million at the Go Wild Gorillas auction," she added.
During the 2019 auction, every gorilla sculpture started at £5,000 with many being auctioned off for much more.
Bidders in the room and from all over the world including the USA, the UK, and even Tokyo jostled to get their hands on the coveted gorilla statues.
The star of the evening was 'The Space Between Us,' an avant-garde sculpture that played with negative space by the Jersey Sandman Andy Coutanche.
This piece was the first and only gorilla sculpture to break £70,000.
As the proud official media partner of the Tortoise Takeover, Express has complied islander's shell-fies and other pictures from the Tortoise Takeover...
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