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Rescate en Madagascar
Una de las últimas expediciones llevadas a cabo por el naturalista Gerald Durrell en su incansable tarea de hacer acopio de animales en peligro de extinción lo llevó a la isla de Madagascar, albergue de singulares especies animales y vegetales. Espoleado especialmente por la incierta suerte del ayeaye, singular animal que protagoniza diversas supersticiones ancestrales del lugar, el autor narra con su peculiar humor las numerosas peripecias de la expedición contra el fondo brillante y lleno de vida que conforman la flora, la fauna, el paisaje y las gentes de «una de las islas más fascinantes del mundo».
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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753 people want to read
About the author
Gerald Durrell
223 books1,691 followersGerald "Gerry" Malcolm Durrell was born in India in 1925. His elder siblings are Lawrence Durrell, Leslie Durrell, and Margaret Durrell. His family settled on Corfu when Gerald was a boy and he spent his time studying its wildlife. He relates these experiences in the trilogy beginning with My Family And Other Animals, and continuing with Birds, Beasts, And Relatives and The Garden Of The Gods. In his books he writes with wry humour and great perception about both the humans and the animals he meets.
On leaving Corfu he returned to England to work on the staff of Whipsnade Park as a student keeper. His adventures there are told with characteristic energy in Beasts In My Belfry. A few years later, Gerald began organising his own animal-collecting expeditions. The first, to the Cameroons, was followed by expeditions to Paraguay, Argentina and Sierra Leone. He recounts these experiences in a number of books, including The Drunken Forest. Gerald also visited many countries while shooting various television series, including An Amateur Naturalist. In 1958 Gerald Durrell realised a lifelong dream when he set up the Jersey Zoological Park, followed a few years later by the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust.
Gerald was married twice; Jacquie Durrell (1951-1979), Lee Durrell (1979-1995).
Gerald Durrell's style is exuberant, passionate and acutely observed. He died in 1995.
On leaving Corfu he returned to England to work on the staff of Whipsnade Park as a student keeper. His adventures there are told with characteristic energy in Beasts In My Belfry. A few years later, Gerald began organising his own animal-collecting expeditions. The first, to the Cameroons, was followed by expeditions to Paraguay, Argentina and Sierra Leone. He recounts these experiences in a number of books, including The Drunken Forest. Gerald also visited many countries while shooting various television series, including An Amateur Naturalist. In 1958 Gerald Durrell realised a lifelong dream when he set up the Jersey Zoological Park, followed a few years later by the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust.
Gerald was married twice; Jacquie Durrell (1951-1979), Lee Durrell (1979-1995).
Gerald Durrell's style is exuberant, passionate and acutely observed. He died in 1995.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
October 14, 2024
Our room was large, full of unnecessary furniture and a bed that must have been designed for St Augustine, to discourage both sex and sleep. Its windows were barred, which gave it a vague flavour of Alcatraz. However, by Malagasy standards it would be rated three stars in the Michelin guide.My first and possibly only literary venture onto the troubled island of Madagascar. Ninety percent of Madagascar's flora and fauna is found nowhere else and seventy-five percent of its population lives in poverty—the two prospects are not complementary. Like many other nations, Madagascar was raped by colonials in the 19th and 20th centuries, and its people, not knowing any better and unsupported by any stable form of post-colonial government, have systematically stripped away much of mother nature's bounty. Mass deforestation and slash-and-burn agricultural practices have led to a loss of habitat for many of the lemurs, tortoises, and giant jumping rats which call the island home.
As depressing as all this is, Gerald Durrell makes it less so, although the overviews of various conservation projects are less interesting than the day to day observations and interactions of a collecting expedition. Published in 1990, it was Gerald Durrell's last book and he begins to feel the effects of advancing age. Antediluvian is my latest vocabulary word, thanks to its repeated use.
an·te·di·lu·vi·an
adjective
of or belonging to the time before the biblical Flood.
October 21, 2016
(3.5) Originally published in 1992, this was Durrell’s last book, a record of his final animal collecting expedition and ongoing conservation efforts in Madagascar. It has his usual warm, funny writing about both people and animals. I’ve seen aye-ayes in his zoo at Jersey and can attest to how strange but endearing these highly rare creatures are. I love his account of his first meeting with one: it bit his walking stick, combed his beard, and finally stuck its long E.T. finger in his ear! “To allow such an astonishing and complex creature to become extinct was as unthinkable as burning a Rembrandt, turning the Sistine Chapel into a disco, or pulling down the Acropolis to make way for a Hilton.”
Durrell seems a touch patronizing about the Malagasy, but his frustration with the futility of on-paper wildlife regulations is understandable. Though the aye-aye and other species were protected, the locals either didn’t know or didn’t care and continued to kill them for food or because they were eating their coconuts. He was struggling significantly with his health by the time of this trip, and mentions how tough the potholed roads were on his hips, but mostly turns his physical travails to humorous effect, like his intestinal issues on first arrival.
Favorite passages:
“Over the years I have found that certain hotels object to your keeping a baby warthog in your room, or fuss because you put snakes in the bath. It is a short-sighted policy which will not bring them custom, in my considered opinion. One is reduced to the vulgar level of a smuggler, having, by subterfuge, to insert a creature into one’s room without making the management privy to one’s designs. It is a hazardous business. For example, a charming South American maid once narrowly missed having a cardiac arrest when she discovered that I was sharing my bed not with my wife or mistress (which would have been acceptable) but with a baby Giant anteater.”
“Malagasy is a fine, rackity-clackity, ringing language which sounds not unlike someone carelessly emptying a barrel of glass marbles down a stone staircase.”
Durrell seems a touch patronizing about the Malagasy, but his frustration with the futility of on-paper wildlife regulations is understandable. Though the aye-aye and other species were protected, the locals either didn’t know or didn’t care and continued to kill them for food or because they were eating their coconuts. He was struggling significantly with his health by the time of this trip, and mentions how tough the potholed roads were on his hips, but mostly turns his physical travails to humorous effect, like his intestinal issues on first arrival.
Favorite passages:
“Over the years I have found that certain hotels object to your keeping a baby warthog in your room, or fuss because you put snakes in the bath. It is a short-sighted policy which will not bring them custom, in my considered opinion. One is reduced to the vulgar level of a smuggler, having, by subterfuge, to insert a creature into one’s room without making the management privy to one’s designs. It is a hazardous business. For example, a charming South American maid once narrowly missed having a cardiac arrest when she discovered that I was sharing my bed not with my wife or mistress (which would have been acceptable) but with a baby Giant anteater.”
“Malagasy is a fine, rackity-clackity, ringing language which sounds not unlike someone carelessly emptying a barrel of glass marbles down a stone staircase.”
January 23, 2020
3.5 stars
"I cannot cope with tummy trouble and a recalcitrant lemur at the same time!"
I know just what you mean, Gerry. I have that problem regularly.
It shouldn't surprise any of us that the little Gerry Durrell we met in My Family and Other Animals grew up to be the Gerry Durrell who went to Madagascar in his sixties, artificial hips and all, to collect animals in danger of extinction.
The aye-aye is a lemur with extremely long fingers and teeth so sharp they can tear off the top of a coconut in two or three bites. Their teeth don't stop growing, so they need to chomp on things the way beavers do. I didn't know prior to reading this book that lemurs are only found in Madagascar and some neighboring islands. Apparently pretty much all of the animals on Madagascar are unique to the place, due to its geographic isolation.
THE AYE-AYE
THE SIFAKA These guys like to do a little sideways dancing. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_7wk...
THE SPORTIVE LEMUR (These guys had to have been the prototype for Gollum.)
"I cannot cope with tummy trouble and a recalcitrant lemur at the same time!"
I know just what you mean, Gerry. I have that problem regularly.
It shouldn't surprise any of us that the little Gerry Durrell we met in My Family and Other Animals grew up to be the Gerry Durrell who went to Madagascar in his sixties, artificial hips and all, to collect animals in danger of extinction.
The aye-aye is a lemur with extremely long fingers and teeth so sharp they can tear off the top of a coconut in two or three bites. Their teeth don't stop growing, so they need to chomp on things the way beavers do. I didn't know prior to reading this book that lemurs are only found in Madagascar and some neighboring islands. Apparently pretty much all of the animals on Madagascar are unique to the place, due to its geographic isolation.
THE AYE-AYE
THE SIFAKA These guys like to do a little sideways dancing. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_7wk...
THE SPORTIVE LEMUR (These guys had to have been the prototype for Gollum.)
April 4, 2013
that is all.
February 24, 2025
simpatico, ironico come sanno essere ironici e autoironici gli inglesi quando sono simpatici, interessante.
Ho riso parecchio, ho anche imparato parecchio, ci voleva dopo quella pizza immane appena terminata
Ho riso parecchio, ho anche imparato parecchio, ci voleva dopo quella pizza immane appena terminata
August 12, 2021
Gerald Durrell travels to Madagascar with the intent to catch some creatures for conservation. That is, breeding program, with the goal of releasing endangered species back to the wild. Of course, provided that there is any habitat left. I fear that many exotic species will have their final years of existence in zoological gardens only.
Gerald is particularly interested in catching six specimens of the elusive aye-aye. This little primate is considered bad luck locally and is killed if caught and sometimes eaten. We get to join the bumpy ride across roads that bear little resemblance to anything a car can drive on. He is funny, in places. In other places, his views seem outdated. I particularly found his description of women irksome. However, the geese mistaking his manhood for a tasty morsel, was definitely a hilarious episode. Catching wild animals is perilous, even when the animal in itself is unlikely to cause any harm.
Edit: so I've checked Wikipedia and Gerald actually was part of an initiative for land conservation. "His health deteriorated rapidly after the 1990 Madagascar trip", that is, the trip he wrote about in this book. He died when he was just 70 years old, in 1995.
Gerald is particularly interested in catching six specimens of the elusive aye-aye. This little primate is considered bad luck locally and is killed if caught and sometimes eaten. We get to join the bumpy ride across roads that bear little resemblance to anything a car can drive on. He is funny, in places. In other places, his views seem outdated. I particularly found his description of women irksome. However, the geese mistaking his manhood for a tasty morsel, was definitely a hilarious episode. Catching wild animals is perilous, even when the animal in itself is unlikely to cause any harm.
Edit: so I've checked Wikipedia and Gerald actually was part of an initiative for land conservation. "His health deteriorated rapidly after the 1990 Madagascar trip", that is, the trip he wrote about in this book. He died when he was just 70 years old, in 1995.
December 9, 2019
I still can’t really get my head around the fact that I am going to Madagascar in about 5 weeks, a trip arranged by my in-laws. I’m trying to make it feel real the best way I know how—reading. This book recounts Gerald Durrell’s 1990 expedition to the island nation, collecting specimens of rare and endangered animals to bring back to his zoo in England for captive breeding programs. This style of conservation feels a little dated, and Durrell’s prissy-but-game pith-hatted colonial adventurer persona gets a little tiresome at times—he’s not as funny as he thinks he is—but the anecdotes that drive the book are pretty interesting. Durrell and his intrepid team brave crumbling bridges, disintegrating roads, and vicious attack ducks to rescue gentle lemurs, tortoises, snakes, giant jumping rats that would give the Dread Pirate Roberts pause, and of course the titular aye-aye. Durrell’s focus is on the animals, but he does spend some time on the Malagasy people and culture as well, if through a somewhat patronizing lens.
April 28, 2024
"Daba la impresión de tener en la mano cuatro diminutos guijarros recalentados por el sol, magníficamente erosionados y esculpidos por el viento y las olas. Lee estaba entusiasmada, admiraba el resplandor de sus ojos, como dos perlas de ónice engastadas en sus caritas inteligentes, la perfecta manicura de sus uñas afiladas, como diminutas medias lunas doradas, y sus sólidas patitas provistas de escamas meticulosamente esculpidas como las hojas fósiles de un árbol enano. La descripción más exhaustiva del responsable de un proyecto nunca podrá compararse con el hecho de ver y tocar el fruto de tu trabajo. Sentir palpitar en la palma de la mano la vida de estas suaves, redondas y cálidas criaturas nos hacía olvidar los meses y meses de luchas para conseguir dinero, convencer a los burócratas, preparar y organizar el proyecto. Aquellas graciosas y minúsculas criaturas que teníamos en la mano representaban el futuro de su raza. Sabíamos que al estar protegidas crecerían hasta convertirse en aquellos enormes adultos que, pesados y toscos como antiguos guerreros con armadura, combatirían por sus damas en cada estación, de forma que estas extraordinarias criaturas antediluvianas sigan reproduciéndose y deambulando a lo largo de los siglos para recordarnos cómo comenzó el mundo y deleitarnos con su belleza y su comportamiento únicos."
En Rescate en Madagascar, el zoólogo Gerry Durrell (hermano de Lawrence Durrell, el del Cuarteto de Alejandría) narra la que fue su última expedición, en 1990, para salvar un animal único en peligro de extinción, el aye aye. Precisamente al final de dicha expedición, Durrell se enteraría de la muerte de su famoso hermano mayor, que siempre le animó a escribir.
De este ensayo-libro de viajes he aprendido lo que cuesta preservar las especies en peligro de extinción, la cantidad de recursos de los que se tiene que echar mano para mantener con vida un ave del que sólo quedan cuatro especímenes en el mundo y la verdadera utilidad de los zoológicos, que no es tener allí un puñado de animales para que la gente les haga fotos o les tire cáscaras de plátano.
Como no sólo de fauna y flora vive el hombre, Durrell también habla de las gentes que habitan el lugar, del equipo de televisión que los acompaña y de toda la ristra de funcionarios a los que hay que visitar y esperar para que te firmen un permiso. Todo esto regado con un montón de anécdotas a cual más estrambótica, porque para eso el autor es británico y bueno, ellos es que son así.
En Rescate en Madagascar, el zoólogo Gerry Durrell (hermano de Lawrence Durrell, el del Cuarteto de Alejandría) narra la que fue su última expedición, en 1990, para salvar un animal único en peligro de extinción, el aye aye. Precisamente al final de dicha expedición, Durrell se enteraría de la muerte de su famoso hermano mayor, que siempre le animó a escribir.
De este ensayo-libro de viajes he aprendido lo que cuesta preservar las especies en peligro de extinción, la cantidad de recursos de los que se tiene que echar mano para mantener con vida un ave del que sólo quedan cuatro especímenes en el mundo y la verdadera utilidad de los zoológicos, que no es tener allí un puñado de animales para que la gente les haga fotos o les tire cáscaras de plátano.
Como no sólo de fauna y flora vive el hombre, Durrell también habla de las gentes que habitan el lugar, del equipo de televisión que los acompaña y de toda la ristra de funcionarios a los que hay que visitar y esperar para que te firmen un permiso. Todo esto regado con un montón de anécdotas a cual más estrambótica, porque para eso el autor es británico y bueno, ellos es que son así.
January 10, 2021
This book was a surprise and delight! It was part travelogue and part a book about animals and conservation. I loved both aspects. Gerald Durrell, his wife Lee, and their crew head to Madagascar to find the elusive and endangered Aye Aye to they can begin a breeding program and bring it back from extinction.
Madagascar is one of those places that has species of plants and animals that live nowhere but there. The book gives interesting stories about these animals, and also about the people living near them and how the humans impact the wildlife (knowingly or unknowingly.)
I'm a member of the San Diego Zoo and there are two Aye Aye's there ... Unfortunately, I never get to see them because they are nocturnal. However, they have just opened a new(ish) section called Africa Rocks that has a bunch of other lemurs from Madagascar and they are awesome.
However you feel about Zoos they do a lot of good work trying to bring these animals back from the brink. The Durrell's are also responsible for restoring a Kestral from Mauritius of which there were only 4 left.
So if exotic travel, mild humor, endangered species and conservation are of interest, this is a great book.
April 9, 2023
Durrell books are always funny. This one, though, has a little more trouble than some maintaining that tone due to the level of peril the wildlife of Madagascar was and is in - plus several members of the crew trying to catch critters for the Jersey Zoo's breeding program having genuinely serious medical issues! That said, it still yielded multiple involuntary laugh-out-loud moments.
“Over the years I have found that certain hotels object to your keeping a baby wart hog in your room, or fuss because you put snakes in the bath. It is a shortsighted policy which will not bring them custom, in my considered opinion.”
Durrell also has a talent for whimsy and beautifully poetic descriptions, sometimes combining the two:
“There are lovely trees…called palo boracho…which are beautiful in their rotundity, but their tummies lack the swelling, Falstaffian magnificence, the pure anti-dietary bulge of the baobab….one imagines that at night by the crisp white light of the moon they uproot themselves ponderously and…gurgle gossip to each other.”
The one caveat I'd issue is that this does contain occasional descriptions or metaphors that are lacking in racial sensitivity by 2020 standards. However, since I've read Durrell's other books and know how he writes about the British, the Greeks, etc. (he's a more or less equal-opportunity jokester), he references the wrongs of colonialism multiple times here, and he has shown a commitment to things like training local conservationists and - as described here - allowing developing countries to retain ownership of animals even in foreign zoos...I'm inclined to view him like an older relative who hasn't kept up with the vocabulary changes but whose heart is in the right place!
“Over the years I have found that certain hotels object to your keeping a baby wart hog in your room, or fuss because you put snakes in the bath. It is a shortsighted policy which will not bring them custom, in my considered opinion.”
Durrell also has a talent for whimsy and beautifully poetic descriptions, sometimes combining the two:
“There are lovely trees…called palo boracho…which are beautiful in their rotundity, but their tummies lack the swelling, Falstaffian magnificence, the pure anti-dietary bulge of the baobab….one imagines that at night by the crisp white light of the moon they uproot themselves ponderously and…gurgle gossip to each other.”
The one caveat I'd issue is that this does contain occasional descriptions or metaphors that are lacking in racial sensitivity by 2020 standards. However, since I've read Durrell's other books and know how he writes about the British, the Greeks, etc. (he's a more or less equal-opportunity jokester), he references the wrongs of colonialism multiple times here, and he has shown a commitment to things like training local conservationists and - as described here - allowing developing countries to retain ownership of animals even in foreign zoos...I'm inclined to view him like an older relative who hasn't kept up with the vocabulary changes but whose heart is in the right place!
July 16, 2025
Nemsokára napra pontosan 25 éve lesz, hogy az első Durrellemet a kezembe vettem - A halak jelleme című kötet volt az, amit aztán számtalan másik követett, és én teljesen belebolondultam Gerry bácsi állati és emberi csudabogaraiba, korfui családi kalandjaiba, és kameruni expedícióiba. Nem is tudom miért, és hol akadt el a folyamat, bizonyára belebolondultam másba is közben, pl. Agatha Christie-be, de annyi baj legyen, ha már ilyen remek bolondulásaim voltak. ;)
Szó mi szó, bár többször is megfogadtam már, hogy visszatérek az állatos és természettudományos témákhoz, amit ilyen regényes és humoros formában kiváltképp jó fogyasztani, sokáig mégsem sikerült. Mindig emlegettem, mindig benne volt a terveimben, mégsem jutottam el sem a híresebb kötetek újraolvasásáig, sem az életmű folytatásáig. 2015-ben (az is már 10 éve volt!) voltak kisebb próbálkozásaim, amikor is megtetszettek a Szacsvay-féle rövídített, Durrell-válogatások, és néhány hangoskönyvet meghallgattam ezek közül. 2017-ben pedig megnéztem két évadot a méltán népszerű, The Durrells című sorozatból.
Most, 2025 nyarán végre eljött az idő, hogy újra rendesen Durrellt olvassak, és nagyon örülök, hogy visszakacsintottam Gerry bácsira, még ha sajnos sikerült is kifognom a folytatáshoz a legeslegutolsó kötetét.
Kicsit faramuci helyzet állt így elő, mert legutolsó művét olvasva tértem vissza szeretett szerzőmhöz, és elszomorított, hogy ez a madagaszkári mentőakció volt az utolsó expedíciója. A színes és csodás állatvilág persze ugyanúgy megjelenik, és az utánozhatatlan humor is megvan, de sajnos látszik lépten-nyomon, hogy Durrell ekkor már kevéssé volt aktív. Mozgásszervi problémái sok mindenben hátráltatták, nem igazán vett részt az állatok felkutatásában, befogásában sem, sokszor csak a táborban várta vissza az embereit.
Tőle megszokott érzékenységgel írt a véznaujjú makiról, a laposfarkú teknősökről, denevérekről, óriáspatkányokról galambokról, valamint Madagaszkár és Mauritius lakóiról is. El is felejtettem már, hogy mennyit, de mennyit lehet tanulni is Durrell könyveiből. Megismertem pl. a fossát, a szifakát, és a zebukat is, a Kerek-szigetet, a helyi piacot, a zomát, és a helyi öltözetet, a lambát is. Megtudtam egy csomó mindent a malgas népről, szokásaikról, babonáikról. Teljesen belemerülős, élvezhető formában ad át rengeteg információt és tudást az élővilágról, és annak csodálatos változatosságáról. A legyekről és a pörölycápáról írt rövid részek is teljesen magával ragadóak, a kiskacsás kaland a "dörej-ládával" pedig azt hiszem mindig is megmarad az emlékezetemben. :) A szállodák kedves "hotely" neve is nagyon tetszett. És ha már elnevezések, felhívnám a figyelmet az eredeti címre: The Aye-Aye and I! :)
Ünnepélyes és komoly üzenete sem maradt el a természetvédelem és a fajok megmentésének fontossága kapcsán. Durrellt olvasni keserédes, mert rendkívül szórakoztató, humoros, ám közben ott birizgál folyamatosan a kihalásra ítélt fajokkal, az ökoszisztéma védelmével kapcsolatban, és csak remélni merem, hogy a véznaujjú maki kolóniák még mindig léteznek, hogy a mauritiusi vörös vércséket azóta is tudják tenyészteni, és nem jutottak újra a kihalás szélére, és hogy Gerald Durrell és elhivatott társai munkáját voltak, vannak és lesznek akik folytatják.
Durrellt olvasni egyszerre volt kellemes nosztalgia, keserédes melankólia, boldog mosoly, és üdítően színes és zajos, egzotikus kirándulás a fajok sokszínűségébe, a madagaszkári és mauritiusi rengetegben.
Az expedíció és makimentés 1990-ben zajlott, a könyv 1992-ben jelent meg, Durrell pedig 1995-ben hunyt el, 70 éves korában.
A blogon is olvasható, idézetekkel tűzdelve: https://pupillaolvas.blogspot.com/202...
Szó mi szó, bár többször is megfogadtam már, hogy visszatérek az állatos és természettudományos témákhoz, amit ilyen regényes és humoros formában kiváltképp jó fogyasztani, sokáig mégsem sikerült. Mindig emlegettem, mindig benne volt a terveimben, mégsem jutottam el sem a híresebb kötetek újraolvasásáig, sem az életmű folytatásáig. 2015-ben (az is már 10 éve volt!) voltak kisebb próbálkozásaim, amikor is megtetszettek a Szacsvay-féle rövídített, Durrell-válogatások, és néhány hangoskönyvet meghallgattam ezek közül. 2017-ben pedig megnéztem két évadot a méltán népszerű, The Durrells című sorozatból.
Most, 2025 nyarán végre eljött az idő, hogy újra rendesen Durrellt olvassak, és nagyon örülök, hogy visszakacsintottam Gerry bácsira, még ha sajnos sikerült is kifognom a folytatáshoz a legeslegutolsó kötetét.
Kicsit faramuci helyzet állt így elő, mert legutolsó művét olvasva tértem vissza szeretett szerzőmhöz, és elszomorított, hogy ez a madagaszkári mentőakció volt az utolsó expedíciója. A színes és csodás állatvilág persze ugyanúgy megjelenik, és az utánozhatatlan humor is megvan, de sajnos látszik lépten-nyomon, hogy Durrell ekkor már kevéssé volt aktív. Mozgásszervi problémái sok mindenben hátráltatták, nem igazán vett részt az állatok felkutatásában, befogásában sem, sokszor csak a táborban várta vissza az embereit.
Tőle megszokott érzékenységgel írt a véznaujjú makiról, a laposfarkú teknősökről, denevérekről, óriáspatkányokról galambokról, valamint Madagaszkár és Mauritius lakóiról is. El is felejtettem már, hogy mennyit, de mennyit lehet tanulni is Durrell könyveiből. Megismertem pl. a fossát, a szifakát, és a zebukat is, a Kerek-szigetet, a helyi piacot, a zomát, és a helyi öltözetet, a lambát is. Megtudtam egy csomó mindent a malgas népről, szokásaikról, babonáikról. Teljesen belemerülős, élvezhető formában ad át rengeteg információt és tudást az élővilágról, és annak csodálatos változatosságáról. A legyekről és a pörölycápáról írt rövid részek is teljesen magával ragadóak, a kiskacsás kaland a "dörej-ládával" pedig azt hiszem mindig is megmarad az emlékezetemben. :) A szállodák kedves "hotely" neve is nagyon tetszett. És ha már elnevezések, felhívnám a figyelmet az eredeti címre: The Aye-Aye and I! :)
Ünnepélyes és komoly üzenete sem maradt el a természetvédelem és a fajok megmentésének fontossága kapcsán. Durrellt olvasni keserédes, mert rendkívül szórakoztató, humoros, ám közben ott birizgál folyamatosan a kihalásra ítélt fajokkal, az ökoszisztéma védelmével kapcsolatban, és csak remélni merem, hogy a véznaujjú maki kolóniák még mindig léteznek, hogy a mauritiusi vörös vércséket azóta is tudják tenyészteni, és nem jutottak újra a kihalás szélére, és hogy Gerald Durrell és elhivatott társai munkáját voltak, vannak és lesznek akik folytatják.
Durrellt olvasni egyszerre volt kellemes nosztalgia, keserédes melankólia, boldog mosoly, és üdítően színes és zajos, egzotikus kirándulás a fajok sokszínűségébe, a madagaszkári és mauritiusi rengetegben.
Az expedíció és makimentés 1990-ben zajlott, a könyv 1992-ben jelent meg, Durrell pedig 1995-ben hunyt el, 70 éves korában.
A blogon is olvasható, idézetekkel tűzdelve: https://pupillaolvas.blogspot.com/202...
January 10, 2020
Me encantó, pensé que iba a ser algo aburrido por ser una especie de diario de viaje, pero es super divertido y el autor describe la situación de una forma muy muy entretenida.
April 28, 2014
The Aye-Aye and I, first published in 1992, is Gerald Durrell's account of his last major animal-collecting expedition, a trip to Madagascar in 1990. This is a Durrell different in some ways from the Durrell of earlier books. If you've read his adventures in The Bafut Beagles, The Drunken Forest, The Whispering Land and so on, you're probably familiar with a Gerry who shins up trees, goes on long treks searching for elusive animals, and has some of the most bizarre (and hair-raising) experiences one could hope - or not hope - for. This is an older Durrell (he was to die just 5 years later, in 1995), his hips ruined by arthritis and replaced with steel, his adventures confined to letting others do much of the climbing and hunting and venturing into the unknown.
Yet, this is a Durrell who is, despite his frailties, still Durrell, with a brilliant sense of humour and an unparalleled enthusiasm and love for animals (including the human variety). The Aye-Aye and I is a fine example of the quintessential Durrell book: brimming with delightful descriptions of everything from the inappropriately named 'gentle lemurs', to the local village school children and their reactions to a first-time viewing of a TV; from an account of a rather painful encounter - while bathing on a thunder box - with a trio of ducks, to the many people, local Malagasy and vazaha (foreigners) who race and gallop, flit and tread through this book.
An absolute delight, and highly recommended for any Durrell fan.
Yet, this is a Durrell who is, despite his frailties, still Durrell, with a brilliant sense of humour and an unparalleled enthusiasm and love for animals (including the human variety). The Aye-Aye and I is a fine example of the quintessential Durrell book: brimming with delightful descriptions of everything from the inappropriately named 'gentle lemurs', to the local village school children and their reactions to a first-time viewing of a TV; from an account of a rather painful encounter - while bathing on a thunder box - with a trio of ducks, to the many people, local Malagasy and vazaha (foreigners) who race and gallop, flit and tread through this book.
An absolute delight, and highly recommended for any Durrell fan.
Read
October 1, 2019This book is like if James Herriot was in Madagascar rather than the British countryside. It is very interesting from a conservation point of view, lots of adventures with animals. It is also a real curiosity because despite being written in the 90's it feels like it could have been written 100 years ago. It is rollicking in that way that travel writing rarely is anymore and Durrell clearly cares deeply about his mission.
You can let this book sweep you away with its charms (it is quite charming and funny) but at some point it will inevitably sour. Durrell writes about the Malagasy people without even a hint of concern about the fact that he is from a white country that colonized and enslaved people just like the Malagasy for hundreds of years, and that has portrayed the people of the African continent as godless savages for even longer. It would have taken just a little bit of thought to avoid these pitfalls. Durrell is mostly respectful and delighted by the people he encounters, but when he goes wrong it can go awfully wrong. Much of his frustration, as a conservationist, is directed more towards the governments that know better but don't care, rather than the people themselves, he is close but he is not quite there.
The audio reader (it has just been recorded as an audiobook for the first time) is perfectly suited to the material.
You can let this book sweep you away with its charms (it is quite charming and funny) but at some point it will inevitably sour. Durrell writes about the Malagasy people without even a hint of concern about the fact that he is from a white country that colonized and enslaved people just like the Malagasy for hundreds of years, and that has portrayed the people of the African continent as godless savages for even longer. It would have taken just a little bit of thought to avoid these pitfalls. Durrell is mostly respectful and delighted by the people he encounters, but when he goes wrong it can go awfully wrong. Much of his frustration, as a conservationist, is directed more towards the governments that know better but don't care, rather than the people themselves, he is close but he is not quite there.
The audio reader (it has just been recorded as an audiobook for the first time) is perfectly suited to the material.
August 2, 2011
The Aye-Aye and I When I first picked this book up in the library I thought that it was a fiction book. It wasn't until I got home that I realised it was a sort of travel book come conservation story. The book follows Gerald Durrell, his wife and team from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. The book combines facts about Madagascar, a country which is under threat from slash and burn agriculture destroying animals habitat. The book follows the team as they search for a number of different animals. This was a really good book, well written with good anecdotes from the expeditions.
April 20, 2020
A book with an unfortunate-looking cover design that I chose at random from my housemate's bookshelf, not expecting much. Turns out that this book-about a conservationist's adventures in Madagascar procuring some endangered species to sustain their population-is an absolutely delightful, insightful and hilarious read.
As I read along, I realised that Durrell is a respected author who wrote the classic 'My Family and Other Animals', which I haven't read yet but definitely will, along with all his other books now that I've gotten a taste of his way with words.
Amidst the madcap shenanigans there's a strong environmental message. Durrell died in 1995 and was way ahead of his time when it came to environmentalism. He understood that conservation is done best when it starts in the home country of a specific animal and he set about setting up sanctuaries worldwide and training local people to run them. It was pretty depressing how ravaged Madagascar already was when this book was published almost 30 years ago, so I hope there has been some positive progress since then.
As I read along, I realised that Durrell is a respected author who wrote the classic 'My Family and Other Animals', which I haven't read yet but definitely will, along with all his other books now that I've gotten a taste of his way with words.
Amidst the madcap shenanigans there's a strong environmental message. Durrell died in 1995 and was way ahead of his time when it came to environmentalism. He understood that conservation is done best when it starts in the home country of a specific animal and he set about setting up sanctuaries worldwide and training local people to run them. It was pretty depressing how ravaged Madagascar already was when this book was published almost 30 years ago, so I hope there has been some positive progress since then.
December 28, 2024
If you love Durrell already, this is a charming nigh ending chapter (his last book published during his lifetime) of a boisterous well-lived life, loving and caring for wild creatures and their conservation. I still advise anyone interested in this memoirist to start with his Corfu trilogy. Though I will admit to feeling very old myself when the man I first “met” as a young boy spends much of this book grappling with an aged body and replaced hips! I did however really adore the mutually supportive relationship with his wife, Lee.
As many other reviews will attest, this book is more a series of vignettes of working in many conservation efforts in Madagascar rather than solely focused on the Aye Aye, but I didn’t mind in the least learning about local foods, jumping rats, angonoka tortoises and other lemurs (both gentle and sportive).
Durrell has MANY books and I picked this one up at random after a long lapse in reading him, so expect more of his books in my feed in 2025 🦤
As many other reviews will attest, this book is more a series of vignettes of working in many conservation efforts in Madagascar rather than solely focused on the Aye Aye, but I didn’t mind in the least learning about local foods, jumping rats, angonoka tortoises and other lemurs (both gentle and sportive).
Durrell has MANY books and I picked this one up at random after a long lapse in reading him, so expect more of his books in my feed in 2025 🦤
Read
March 15, 2023Gerald Durrell is not only an entertaining and lively travel writer, but he is significantly a trailblazer in conservation, founding initiatives that centered on training, funding, connecting and ultimately empowering local volunteers who aim to combat the steady desolation of their environment, in the face of overwhelming forces arrayed against their success: ""inadequate funds, an implacable bureaucracy, an unsympathetic government, or a population which thinks the only good animal is a dead one, the only good tree a felled one"" (from the book) At the time of his writing, Madagascar's forest cover had been reduced by 90% of its original density, and to causes and situations such as this, one cannot stay indifferent..
April 17, 2025
Risas e indignación a partes iguales. O digamos mejor, risas en los primeros dos tercios, y más indignación al final:
“Nuestra relación de quince años con las islas Mascareñas data de una vez que decidí ir a Mauricio a pasar unas vacaciones. Después de todo, habíamos elegido como símbolo al fantástico dodo debido a que era un ave descubierta en Mauricio en 1599 y desaparecida ya en 1693, lo cual resume lo que el hombre está haciéndole al mundo en general. Sin embargo, al llegar a la isla averigüé que había otras cosas que corrían el peligro de seguir al dodo por la vía de la desaparición.”
Muchos llamados; diría que sin respuesta 33 años más tarde.
“Nuestra relación de quince años con las islas Mascareñas data de una vez que decidí ir a Mauricio a pasar unas vacaciones. Después de todo, habíamos elegido como símbolo al fantástico dodo debido a que era un ave descubierta en Mauricio en 1599 y desaparecida ya en 1693, lo cual resume lo que el hombre está haciéndole al mundo en general. Sin embargo, al llegar a la isla averigüé que había otras cosas que corrían el peligro de seguir al dodo por la vía de la desaparición.”
Muchos llamados; diría que sin respuesta 33 años más tarde.
September 29, 2017
The last book Durrell published during his life about his trips to collect strange animals and save them from extinction. Animalists who complain about zoos should read books like these before they show their ignorance.
In this book I did not like Durrell's insistence on informing us in detail about his medical problems during the trip, specially those which had to do with relieving his vowels.
In this book I did not like Durrell's insistence on informing us in detail about his medical problems during the trip, specially those which had to do with relieving his vowels.
January 5, 2020
Another enjoyable installment from Gerald Durrell’s zoo animal gathering.
June 25, 2020
My experience with this book, unfortunately, was tainted by the arduous day I had.
After listening to four Gerald Durrell's books in a row, I can't help but marvel over the extraordinary life he's had.
After listening to four Gerald Durrell's books in a row, I can't help but marvel over the extraordinary life he's had.
August 7, 2017
Empecé a leerlo sin conocer nada sobre el autor ni la temática y me sorprendió gratamente. El sentido del humor y la narrativa hacen que te introduzcas en un mundo desconocido, como es la zoología, de una forma sencilla, clara y amena.
April 22, 2024
Una expedición en busca de animales en peligro de extinción que te hace reflexionar sobre la existencia de los Zoos, la necesidad de la preservación de las especies y la inhumanidad humana. Acompañamos a Durrell en una de sus expediciones a Madagascar y vemos con sus ojos una forma de ver la naturaleza y la maravilla del reino animal, la preciosidad de unas alas de mosca.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2025
Mi madre siempre que le pedía recomendación de algo que leer me decía que leyese "Mi familia y otros animales" y yo creo que instintivamente mi cerebro quiso guardárselo para cuando lo fuese a disfrutar de verdad.
Mucho humor inglés: he soltado alguna carcajada indiscreta en alguna sala de espera de algún hospital.
Había leído ya a David Attenborough en Madagascar, y este libro lo he disfrutado de la misma manera, literalmente una ventana de escape a una vida fascinante que tampoco me parece tan lejana.
Las dos primeras páginas me cautivaron directamente, creo que son las que se me quedarán en la memoria de este libro.
He visto que en la biblioteca de mi pueblo están este y sus otros libros en formato bolsillo, así que creo que esas van a ser mis primeras conquistas bibliotecarias ahora que ya he conseguido arreglar mi carnet de biblioteca.
Mucho humor inglés: he soltado alguna carcajada indiscreta en alguna sala de espera de algún hospital.
Había leído ya a David Attenborough en Madagascar, y este libro lo he disfrutado de la misma manera, literalmente una ventana de escape a una vida fascinante que tampoco me parece tan lejana.
Las dos primeras páginas me cautivaron directamente, creo que son las que se me quedarán en la memoria de este libro.
He visto que en la biblioteca de mi pueblo están este y sus otros libros en formato bolsillo, así que creo que esas van a ser mis primeras conquistas bibliotecarias ahora que ya he conseguido arreglar mi carnet de biblioteca.
December 2, 2017
Libro interessante e a tratti spassoso. È però - rispetto agli altri libri di Durrell che ho letto - molto più specifico: è un misto tra un saggio e un diario di viaggio. Mi è venuta ovviamente voglia di andare in Madagascar a farmi ispezionare un orecchio da un Aye Aye, simpatico e misterioso lemure dal dito oblungo, la cui vita è da salvaguardare.
February 25, 2016
I came to this book ignorant to the stellar reputation of author Gerald Durrell and his equally stellar rescue efforts for endangered species across the world. All I cared about was learning more about the elusive and, according to some, mystical lemuroid known as the Aye Aye. The Creature with the Magic Finger.
In this, the late Gerald Durrell chronicled his departure from Jersey in order to investigate Madagascar for not only the mythical Aye Aye, but also mouse lemurs of Lac Alaotra, the Fosa, golden brown river snakes and flat tailed tortoises. The problem I had with the book that knocked the book down to three wasn't an issue with the author's penchant for verbose language that sometimes veers into the hazardous territory of becoming bloviating. He was English, after all, and at least he was fortunate enough to suffer a vast vocabulary. No, my only significant trial with the book was waiting for the damned Aye Aye to show up, not at all unlike Gerald and his traveling band of biologists, zoologists and hunters.
Want to hazard a guess as to how long it takes for the Aye Aye to finally take center stage? If you guessed one hundred and thirty pages, you'd be correct. This is a problem considering the book, at least in paperback, is a mere one hundred and sixty seven pages. So, it's one of those tales that's more about the journey than the destination. I did feel that Durrell could have truncated some of his experiences in the villages and areas of Antanambaobe and Tamatave in order to establish a clearer path to the animal whose namesake graces the front cover.
Still, this is not a story for the express sake of telling a story. There is much wisdom in these pages that were meant as a call to arms to do something about the beautiful animals being ravaged and disappearing due to deforestation and illegal poaching. Durrell made animals his life's work. He was lucky enough to be able to write about that work. Bless him wherever the next journey carried him.
In this, the late Gerald Durrell chronicled his departure from Jersey in order to investigate Madagascar for not only the mythical Aye Aye, but also mouse lemurs of Lac Alaotra, the Fosa, golden brown river snakes and flat tailed tortoises. The problem I had with the book that knocked the book down to three wasn't an issue with the author's penchant for verbose language that sometimes veers into the hazardous territory of becoming bloviating. He was English, after all, and at least he was fortunate enough to suffer a vast vocabulary. No, my only significant trial with the book was waiting for the damned Aye Aye to show up, not at all unlike Gerald and his traveling band of biologists, zoologists and hunters.
Want to hazard a guess as to how long it takes for the Aye Aye to finally take center stage? If you guessed one hundred and thirty pages, you'd be correct. This is a problem considering the book, at least in paperback, is a mere one hundred and sixty seven pages. So, it's one of those tales that's more about the journey than the destination. I did feel that Durrell could have truncated some of his experiences in the villages and areas of Antanambaobe and Tamatave in order to establish a clearer path to the animal whose namesake graces the front cover.
Still, this is not a story for the express sake of telling a story. There is much wisdom in these pages that were meant as a call to arms to do something about the beautiful animals being ravaged and disappearing due to deforestation and illegal poaching. Durrell made animals his life's work. He was lucky enough to be able to write about that work. Bless him wherever the next journey carried him.
September 3, 2024
Dopo aver letto “La mia famiglia e altri animali” ed essere rimasta conquistata dalla scrittura irriverente di Durrell ho ricevuto in regalo diversi suoi libri. Questo in particolare è stato il suo ultimo testo, pubblicato originariamente nel 1992.
Oltre al desiderio di viaggiare in Madagascar, la lettura di questo libricino ha scatenato, al solito, sia risate che riflessioni, per la scrittura sempre calda e divertente, ma soprattutto acuta.
Il libro è un resoconto della sua ultima spedizione, dei continui sforzi di conservazione per le diverse specie di lemuri. Oltre all’umorismo scanzonato che riesce a trasformare anche i peggiori disagi fisici in siparietti leggeri e divertenti, il libro riporta interessanti considerazioni sulla cultura dei locali, sul rispetto delle regole, sulla diversa percezione della fauna selvatica in base al proprio vissuto e al contesto sociale in cui si è inseriti, fino all’importanza di un sistema di protezione e salvaguardia delle specie a rischio che parte dai paesi d’origine e insegna loro come proteggere i propri tesori faunistici e ambientali.
Un testo quindi diverso da “La mia famiglia ed altri animali”(che rimane comunque il mio preferito di Durrell) ma che rimane capace di guardare al mondo con gli occhi entusiasti e curiosi di un bambino aggiungendo l’esperienza di una vita passata ad amare, studiare e proteggere gli animali.
Oltre al desiderio di viaggiare in Madagascar, la lettura di questo libricino ha scatenato, al solito, sia risate che riflessioni, per la scrittura sempre calda e divertente, ma soprattutto acuta.
Il libro è un resoconto della sua ultima spedizione, dei continui sforzi di conservazione per le diverse specie di lemuri. Oltre all’umorismo scanzonato che riesce a trasformare anche i peggiori disagi fisici in siparietti leggeri e divertenti, il libro riporta interessanti considerazioni sulla cultura dei locali, sul rispetto delle regole, sulla diversa percezione della fauna selvatica in base al proprio vissuto e al contesto sociale in cui si è inseriti, fino all’importanza di un sistema di protezione e salvaguardia delle specie a rischio che parte dai paesi d’origine e insegna loro come proteggere i propri tesori faunistici e ambientali.
Un testo quindi diverso da “La mia famiglia ed altri animali”(che rimane comunque il mio preferito di Durrell) ma che rimane capace di guardare al mondo con gli occhi entusiasti e curiosi di un bambino aggiungendo l’esperienza di una vita passata ad amare, studiare e proteggere gli animali.
June 3, 2016
Gerald Durrell writes as if he is telling anecdotes while showing you pictures from his trip. It is very entertaining for a short time, but not a style I could stay with for long. (I read a chapter or two at a time with long breaks or other books between them.)
He is passionate about his work and the need for captive breeding schemes as a last resort for wildlife on the very brink of extinction. He is resolutely upbeat, but you could feel that he must have been close to despair at times.
The book is very informative about Madagascar and its endemic wildlife and habitats. It gets four or five stars for both content and good intentions. I wish I liked it more than I did.
He is passionate about his work and the need for captive breeding schemes as a last resort for wildlife on the very brink of extinction. He is resolutely upbeat, but you could feel that he must have been close to despair at times.
The book is very informative about Madagascar and its endemic wildlife and habitats. It gets four or five stars for both content and good intentions. I wish I liked it more than I did.
April 27, 2013
This could be one of the sadder Gerald Durrell book as he describes the plight of the Madagascan environment. It was also when his age catches up with him so it takes a different tone from his previous writings. As usual, under his pen animals become larger than life and you wish you can meet those unique lemurs, fosas, silfakas for yourself. wonderful book. on my way to collect the rest of his stuff :D
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