The beloved conservationist, who died in 1995, would have turned 100 today. A new collection, Myself and Other Animals, traces the origins of his lifelong rapture with animals

As a toddler, Gerald Durrell was on a walk when he peered over the side of the road and spotted two creatures. “They were gently sliding over each other in what looked like a dance. They were a pale coffee colour with black, ridged stripes. They were glutinous and beautiful”.

This rather flattering description of two slugs writhing in a ditch opens a new collection of writings by the beloved conservationist, who died in 1995 and would have turned 100 today, and it sets the tone for the book: all animals should be considered miraculous, conventional looks aside.