Two in the bush

by Gerald Durrell

1975

Publication

Fontana, c1966.

Status

Available

Description

"Two in the Bush" is a record of the six-month journey which took Gerald Durrell, his wife Jacquie, and two cameramen through New Zealand, Australia and Malaya. The object was, first, to see what was being done about the conservation of wild life in these countries, and, secondly, to make a series of television films for the BBC. They were introduced to many rare and remarkable animals - Royal Albatrosses, Tuataras, Duck-Billed Platypuses, Flying Lizards and Long-Nosed Bandicoots, as well as to some equally unusual humans. Anyone who has read "The Overloaded Ark," "The Bafut Beagles" or "The Whispering Land" will have enjoyed Gerald Durrell's enthusiastic adventuring and his delight in the absurdity of the situations in which he finds himself. His observation of animal - and human - behaviour is always informative and often hilarious. 'Delightfully readable and often very funny.' "Daily Mail" 'An account of Gerald Durrell's tour of New Zealand, Australia and Malaya in search of rarities . . . Easy to read, difficult to put down, with many vivid sidelights on the human side of the expedition. This absorbing narrative reveals the ardours, ironies and disappointments, the organizational miracles and the hilarious human mishaps . . .' Maurice Wiggin, "Sunday Times" 'Mr Durrell has the knack of writing about animals and their antics with tremendous affection and enthusiasm, but without sentimentality.' "Sunday Telegraph" 'Will delight his fans and armchair naturalists everywhere.' "Evening Standard"… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member bookwoman247
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
Show More
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.
Show Less
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
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
Show More
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 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

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1966
Page: 0.2402 seconds