Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons by Gerald Durrell
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.
"'A renegade who was right..He was truly a man before his time' Sir David Attenborough 'This is not only an enjoyable volume, it is also, in my humble opinion, the best-written Durrell so far' Yorkshire Post"
Gerald Durrell settled in Corfu with his family as a boy and immediately became fascinated by the island's natural history; these years are famously documented in My Family and Other Animals. In 1947 he began making expeditions to collect animals from around the world in order to protect endangered species. The Jersey Wildlife Protection Trust was formed to look after these animals, which is still run by his widow, Lee Durrell.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781840246353 |
| ISBN 10 | 1840246359 |
| Title | Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons |
| Author | Gerald Durrell |
| Series | Revival |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Octopus Publishing Group |
| Year published | 2008-02-04 |
| Number of pages | 176 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |