Two in the Bush

More of Durrell's zany adventures, this time in the Antipodes, where he is filming a documentary. The aim of the documentary, (and book), is to educate the public about conserving the unique wildlife of the region and its fragile ecosystem. It's all pretty much standard knowledge today, but was probably somewhat groundbreaking when the book was written in the 1960's.

This book is as much fun as it is educational. He never hits you over the head with a hammer to get his views across.

From earlier in his career, when Durrell was part of making a wildlife program for television. With a small film crew and his wife, he spent six months travelling through New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia to look at conservation efforts in those countries. Of course, having a short time frame in which to find elusive, often very rare animals and get good footage of them, often made for hectic schedules and amusing situations, such as when they captured "flying lizards" (gliding lizards in the Draco genus) and released them over and over from the top of a stepladder while the cameraman lay on his back below, to get it on film. Banter among the camera crew and his wife constantly interjecting caution (the cameraman in particular would show more take alarming risks to get the footage needed) interesting observations on culture and local people in the places they went, make for a lively read. I was most intrigued to read first-hand descriptions of animals in their native habitat (for the most part- a few they saw in captive breeding programs). Some of these included the royal albatross, king shag, takahe, malee (two rare birds), platypus, mudskippers (not rare, but very interesting) and leatherback sea turtle. They witnessed a kangaroo birth and apparently were the second to ever get it on film. (The first footage made, by scientists at a place that studied kangaroos, was deemed unfit for television use). Durrell was apparently quite fond of wombats, but considered koalas to be dim-witted and dull. I wasn't aware that black swans were (at the time) considered an invasive species in New Zealand. Durrell makes a continual point how mankind has changed natural landscapes and many species are in danger of extinction. His final chapter is a plea (repeated in most of his books) for people to pay more attention to the needs of wildlife and support conservation efforts.

from the Dogear Diary show less

In the mid-1960s, Gerald Durrell, his wife, and two BBC cameramen (one was also a producer) traveled through New Zealand, Australia, and what was then Malaya to film a television documentary. This book is an account of their travels. The documentary's focus was the conservation of endangered species in each of these countries. Most of the conservation programs were just getting started.

I didn't Google every species, but I did Google several of them. Most of the projects I checked seem to have been successful except for the leathery turtle in Malaysia, which seems to be nearly extinct there now, although it may still be found in other parts of the world.

New Zealand's royal albatross is one success story. It was first spotted at Taiaroa show more Head in Dunedin in 1914. The first royal albatross egg was found there in 1919. The first chick hatched there in 1938. When Durrell's party was there in the mid-1960s, a sanctuary had been established, but it was going to be years before the albatross population reached a stage to allow public access. Thanks to Google, I discovered the Royal Albatross Centre in Dunedin. The website history says that an albatross observatory opened in 1983, nearly 20 years after Durrell's visit, and Princess Anne opened the Royal Albatross Centre in 1989.

The last chapter of the book is an appeal for readers to donate to Durrell's Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust. It exists today as the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, with the Princess Royal as a patron. show less

This is the best book I have ever read. I roll on the floor laughing when I read it. Literally.