Book description
Mauritius, the green and mountainous island in the Indian Ocean, was
once the home of the ill-fated dodo, and by the 1970s it still had many
unique but seriously endangered species. To rescue some of these
creatures from extinction, Gerald Durrell spent uncomfortable nights in
the jungle looking for bats and pink pigeons, and climbed near-vertical
rock faces to find Telfair’s skinks and Gunther’s geckos, spending his
spare time exploring the enchanted worlds of the coral reefs with their
varied multicoloured marine life. 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.
‘Highly entertaining’ Sunday Telegraph
‘A renegade who was right . . . He was truly a man before his time’
Sir David Attenborough
Gerald Durrell was one of Britain's best loved authors and pioneering
naturalists. His books, such as the bestselling My Family and Other
Animals which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2006, continue to
entertain generations of children and adults alike.
The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is an international
conservation charity with headquarters in Jersey, UK.
