The Aye-Aye and I

Description

'In the gloom it came along the branches towards me, its round, hypnotic eyes blazing, its spoon-like ears turning to and fro independently like radar dishes . . . it was Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky come to life . . . one of the most incredible creatures I had ever been privileged to meet.' The fourth largest island in the world, Madagascar is home to woodlice the size of golf balls, moths the size of Regency fans and the Aye-Aye, a type of lemur held by local superstion to be an omen of death. But when Gerald Durrell visited the island, the destruction of the forests meant that the Aye-Aye and many other unique creatures were in danger of extinction. In his unique travel log, Durrell recalls hopping over rickety bridges, tasting exotic foods and close encounters with the world's deadliest animals - all of which he takes in his stride. Collecting a few scrapes along the way, Durrell's quest proves worthwhile as he finally glimpses the elusive primate and brings it back to his breeding sanctuary in Jersey. Told with his unique sense of humour and inimitable charm, Gerald Durrell's The Aye Aye and I is the final adventure from one of Britain's best loved conservationists. 'Animals come close to being Durrell's best friends. He writes about them with style, verve and humour.' Time

Gerald Durrell (1925-1995) moved from England to Corfu with his family when he was eight. He spent much of his time studying the island's wildlife and surprising his family by keeping lots of very unusual pets in very unexpected places. He grew up to be a famous naturalist and conservationist, leading expeditions to exotic places such as Argentina, Sierra Leone, Assam and Madagascar. Durrell dedicated his life to the preservation of wildlife, especially the less glamorous kinds, which he called 'little brown jobs' and 'small uglies'. It is through his efforts that creatures such as the Mauritius pink pigeon and the Mallorcan midwife toad have avoided extinction. Over his lifetime he presented many TV shows, and wrote thirty-seven books, including My Family and Other Animals and its two sequels, Birds, Beasts and Relatives and The Garden of the Gods. He founded Jersey Zoo in 1959 as a centre for the conservation of endangered species, and in 1963 created the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust - later renamed Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in his honour - of which his wife, Lee, is still Honorary Director. He was awarded the OBE in 1982.

A renegade who was right . . . He was truly a man before his time -- Sir David Attenborough If animals, birds and insects could speak, they would possibly award Mr Gerald Durrell one of their first Nobel prizes * Times Literary Supplement * Durrell has an uncanny knack of discovering human as well as animal eccentricities * Sunday Telegraph *