Overview

This is the full story of the very successful B.B.C.-London Zoo expedition to British Guiana, that went to film exotic creatures and bring back alive, some of the strangest, some of the loveliest, and some of the most horrifying animals in the world . David Attenborough, who went with three companions, tells of their experiences in a country where they explored the broad flat savannahs, the creeks and swamps of the Rupununi, the remote forest reserve of the Amerindians, and the marshy coastal district. They searched for and found sloths and anteaters, manatees and macaws, hoatzins and humming-birds, snakes and spiders, capybara and caiman. They attended the exorcising of a spirit by a medicine man. They photographed ancient Indian rock paintings which few Europeans have ever seen. And they have met many unforgettable characters: Tiny McTurk, the tough rancher; King George, thei impassive Akawaio guide; Mr. King, the mermaid fisherman; and the shanty singers Lord Lucifer and The Great Smasher, to mention only a few. David Attenborough brings to this book his instinctive understanding of animals, his power of vivd description, and his lively sense of humour. Everybody will enjoy Zoo Quest to Guiana, for it is rich in delightful stories about animals collected, frioends made, and the farcical situations in which the author and his companions frequently found themselves.

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9780718894801

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David Attenborough was born at Isleworth, Middlesex, in 1926. In 1932 the family moved to Leicester when his father was appointed Principal of the University College, and he was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School and later won a scholarship to Clare College, Cambridge, where he read zoology, geology and mineralogy, and took an Honours Degree in Natural Sciences. In 1952 he joined the B.B.C. and among the programmes he has produced on television are Animals, Vegetable, Mineral?, Song Hunter, Animal Patterns, It's a Small World, Where on Earth?, Books and Authors, and Travellers' Tales. He accompanied the first B.B.C. -London Zoo animal collecting expedition to Sierra Leone in 1954, and afterwards produced and introduced the highly popular programme in the Zoo Quest series, which, incidentally, established him as a leading television personality. The great success of this series led to the expedition to British Guiana which he describes in this book. David Attenborough (who is the younger brother of Richard Attenborough, the actor) is married, has two children and lives in Richmond. His main interests are music, books and natural history.

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