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siobhanward's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
4.0
This book was really great. I didn’t realize that it was just a collection of his first three Zoo Quest books, but Attenborough’s writing has apparently always been great.
I was shocked that despite these books being written in the 1950s, they didn’t seem dated at all. Obviously, some of the equipment was dated as well as some interactions with locals, but a lot of it was very well done. Local sources were treated with respect for the most part, even in writing and the animals were treated fairly well considering these adventures took place almost 70 years ago. In his introduction, Attenborough mentions that in modern times, these quests for animals would not be ok and that zoos mostly breed for conservation, but it’s still incredible to hear the care that was given to these animals.
Attenborough clearly loves animals and it was so interesting to read about his relationship with them. The best account by far was him capturing a sloth. A funny and sweet story. My only real problem with the book is that I found the adventures in Paraguay to be boring compared to Guyana and Indonesia. There was a lot of repeated animals from Guayana, and their adventures were a lot more about having bad luck with boats than finding animals. Still good, just not as engaging as the other two parts!
I was shocked that despite these books being written in the 1950s, they didn’t seem dated at all. Obviously, some of the equipment was dated as well as some interactions with locals, but a lot of it was very well done. Local sources were treated with respect for the most part, even in writing and the animals were treated fairly well considering these adventures took place almost 70 years ago. In his introduction, Attenborough mentions that in modern times, these quests for animals would not be ok and that zoos mostly breed for conservation, but it’s still incredible to hear the care that was given to these animals.
Attenborough clearly loves animals and it was so interesting to read about his relationship with them. The best account by far was him capturing a sloth. A funny and sweet story. My only real problem with the book is that I found the adventures in Paraguay to be boring compared to Guyana and Indonesia. There was a lot of repeated animals from Guayana, and their adventures were a lot more about having bad luck with boats than finding animals. Still good, just not as engaging as the other two parts!
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death
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