Dan Lay – Operations Manager

Dan manages our expanding portfolio of reptile and amphibian holidays, as well as our popular tours to the Channel Islands and a diverse range of tours to a wide variety of destinations including Bolivia, Honduras, Morocco, the Mediterranean islands and several European countries, as well as many across the UK. Using his flair for all things IT related, he also works with the Website and Marketing team, assisting with the production of e-newsletters and the maintenance of our website.

Before joining Naturetrek in 2019, most of Dan’s career was spent working as a herpetologist for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust on the British Channel Island of Jersey. Here Dan studied and worked in the field with many highly endangered reptiles and amphibians, including endemic Mauritian lizards, Madagascan tortoises, Caribbean amphibians and Lesser Antilles iguanas and snakes. As well as supporting reptile and amphibian conservation around the world, he is equally enthused about the conservation of native species and has worked on a highly successful headstarting programme for the Agile Frog (Rana dalmatina) in Jersey and, prior to that, with reintroductions of Natterjack Toad (Epidalea calamita) and Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis) on the British mainland. Dan has enjoyed sharing his love for reptiles and amphibians with many, including introducing HRH Princess Anne to a Ploughshare Tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora) from Madagascar, showing Anguillan Racer Snakes (Alsophis rijgersmaei) to ‘Superman’ Henry Cavill and discussing amphibian conservation with Sir David Attenborough, at a symposium held by the Zoological Society of London.