Revival

4 total works

Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons

by Gerald Durrell

Published October 1977

On this speck of volcanic soil in the middle of a vast sea, a complete, unique and peaceful world was created slowly and carefully. It waited there for hundreds of thousands of years for an annihilating invasion of voracious animals for which it was totally unprepared, a cohort of rapacious beasts led by the worst predator in the world, Homo sapiens...In an incredibly short space of time, a number of unique species had vanished...Mauritius, the green and mountainous island in the Indian Ocean that was once the home of the ill-fated dodo, still had among its fauna many unique but endangered species, among them Mauritius kestrels, Telfair's skinks, Gunther's geckos and pink pigeons. The indigenous flora and fauna of Mauritius were, by the 1970s, hanging onto their existence by their fingernails.When Gerald Durrell went to rescue some of these creatures from extinction, he experienced danger and discomfort, but enjoyed the adventures greatly. By the end of his trip, he had an extraordinary collection of animals to take to his Jersey sanctuary from where the progeny could, in time, be restored to Mauritius.

Beasts in My Belfry

by Gerald Durrell

Published 6 August 1973

Written with Gerald Durrell's usual sharp eye for observing humour in any situation, Beasts in my Belfry will delight fans both old and new.

At the age of two I made up my mind quite firmly and unequivocally that the only thing I wanted to do was study animals. Nothing else interested me.

Beasts in My Belfry is a charming account of Gerald Durrell's first job in 1945 as a student keeper at Whipsnade Zoo. Over a year, we encounter a typically absurd cast – including Albert the lion, who's a dab hand at ventriloquism, and Teddy the brown bear, with whom the young Durrell sings duets. With notebook and pen in hand, the eager young Durrell observes his co-workers and animal charges alike. Whether getting dirty mucking out the buffalo enclosure or attempting to cajole a jitter-bugging gnu into a transportation crate, life at the zoo is certainly never boring.

Menagerie Manor

by Gerald Durrell

Published December 1964

Menagerie Manor is sure to delight fans of Durrell’s beloved classic My Family and Other Animals (the inspiration for The Durrells in Corfu on Masterpiece PBS) and other accounts of his lifelong fascination with members of the animal kingdom. With his unfailing charm, Durrell tells the story of how he finally fulfilled his childhood dream of founding his own private zoo, the Manor of Les Augres, on the English Channel island of Jersey. With the help of an enduring wife, a selfless staff, and a reluctant bank manager, the zoo grows, and readers are treated to a colorful parade of the zoo’s unusual animal inhabitants.

Three Singles to Adventure

by Gerald Durrell

Published 5 November 1962

`Three singles to Adventure, please,' I said, trying to look as nonchalant as possible. `Yes, sir,' said the clerk. `First or second class?'

In 1950, Gerald Durrell travelled to British Guiana (now called Guyana) to bring back fauna native to that corner of South America.

He takes a riverboat up the Essequibo through lush tropical forests and treks across a landscape teeming with life and a riot of colours: from the crimson-breasted military starlings to the copper-toned howler monkeys. He gets into a sticky situation with an angry two-toed sloth and learns how (or how not) to lasso a galloping anteater. There is one thing to be said for collecting animals: it can never be described as dull.