Golden Bats & Pink Pigeons by Gerald Durrell

First Line: All over the world, hundreds of species of wild animals are facing extinction due to the direct or indirect interference of man.

Gerald Durrell was a force to be reckoned with in wildlife conservation, and Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons is his account of a trip to Mauritius and surrounding islands to capture enough critically endangered species to take back to his zoo on the island of Jersey to begin successful breeding programs. It's a wonderful book that was too short.

Durrell tells of his preparations and of trying to get all the supplies and everyone in his group in and out of boats and onto tricky landing spots in remote areas. A great deal of thought went into how they would trap the birds, bats, and reptiles so that they would not be injured as well as how the animals would be housed until they were ready to depart for Jersey. Each species required a specific number of animals for a chance at a successful breeding program, and Durrell and his group did not take any more than they needed. (There are records from the 1700s of ships leaving these islands with thousands of turtles and other creatures on board, at least half of which would die before they reached their destinations.)

Hunting the animals was fascinating reading which often made me laugh out loud as Durrell described travel with Jak fruit and being in a hut during a torrential downpour with land slugs and a nervous rat.

In addition to the laughter, it's the beauty of Mauritius that I will remember, especially Durrell breakfasting with birds out on a terrace and his incredible descriptions of marine life when he went snorkeling. If you love wildlife, this is a book you must read.

Golden Bats & Pink Pigeons: A Journey to the Flora and Fauna of a Unique Island

by Gerald Durrell

eISBN: 9781504042833

Open Road Media © 2017

Originally published in 1977.

eBook, 115 pages

Non-Fiction, Standalone

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

 

The Stationary Ark by Gerald Durrell

First Line: This is a book about zoos in general, and one zoo in particular-- the one I started on the Island of Jersey.

"Zoo" was the first word Gerald Durrell could enunciate clearly, and if his nursemaid deviated from their daily walk to the local zoo, he would throw a tantrum. Years later, Durrell set up the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust, and he didn't want it to be like any other zoo. His writing was one of the primary ways he financed his zoo.

The Stationary Ark is a quick yet fascinating read, all about Durrell's experiences and opinions of what a proper zoo should look like and what it should be doing. First published in the 1970s, Durrell doesn't hold back on his opinions, such as that most zoos of the day were a disgrace. Zoo design, to him, should consist of four things in strict order of importance: (1) the needs of the animal, (2) the needs of the person looking after the animal, (3) the public who wish to see the animal, and (4) the aesthetic aims of the architect and of the gardener who has to tend it. Most zoos, Durrell believed, had those four priorities in reverse order. He also believed that a zoo's primary function should be in the areas of conservation and research, not of entertaining the public. And don't even get him started on the subject of safari parks! No, he didn't hold back with his opinions, but he also didn't name names-- which made me wonder if I've ever visited any of the zoos Durrell had low opinions of.

But The Stationary Ark isn't just about Durrell's opinions. He shares how he started his own zoo on the Island of Jersey-- how he obtained animals, how he transported them to the zoo, how the animals were taken care of when they became ill, etc. One thing I'd never realized is how little was really known about almost any animal in a zoo because no research was available and because for so long zoos kept no records of the daily care and feeding of their animals. (If the animal died, they could always send someone out to get another from the wild.)

This is a fascinating little book that I'm so glad I read. Now I want to learn how present-day zoos stack up against Durrell's criteria-- criteria that put the needs of the animals front and center where they should be. 

The Stationary Ark by Gerald Durrell

eISBN: 9781504042840

Open Road Integrated Media © 2017

Originally published in 1976

eBook, 145 pages

Non-Fiction

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon

Night Kill by Ann Littlewood

Title: Night Kill
Author: Ann Littlewood
ISBN: 9781590585047
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 2008
Hardcover, 229 pages
Genre: Cozy, Amateur Sleuth, #1 Zoo mystery
Rating: C
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: Hot breath from the lioness touched my cheek.

Iris Oakley loves her job as a feline keeper at the Finley Memorial Zoo in Vancouver, Washington. What she doesn't love is the amount of alcohol her husband Rick is lapping up every night. After a short separation, the two are reconciled, and Rick swears off the sauce. However, the next morning his dead (and dead drunk) body is found in the lion enclosure. Once Iris sorts through some of her initial grief, she begins to deal with no longer being with the big cats and being trained as a bird keeper-- and the feeling that her husband's death was no accident.

When this book concentrates on animal behavior, the day-to-day running of a small zoo, and the training of the keepers, it is first rate. It is obvious that Littlewood, a former zoo keeper, knows her stuff. A scene in which Iris is attacked by a big cat is scary and riveting.

Unfortunately I never felt connected to any of the characters-- including Iris-- and parts of the plot were too easily deduced. Littlewood's second book in the series, Did Not Survive, is available, and I would be interested to see if the characterization and plot in it can rise to match the author's background knowledge. I'd love to see more writing that matches that big cat attack!

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