Friday 22 July 2011

The Zoo That Never Was by RD Lawrence

This is an 'oldy but a goody'. First published in 1981, 'The Zoo That Never Was' tells of the trials and heartwarming moments RD Lawrence and his wife Joan encounter when the property they own in Ontario, America becomes an unofficial wildlife refuge as the community start to bring the couple native animals that had been rescued from roadside accidents, hunters and even originally bought as pets (I no longer think river otters would make nice pets).

RD Lawrence was a Biologst and environmentalist who had a special love for wolves and the American wilderness. He and his wife purchased 'Northern Star', the property in Ontario as a weekend escape from the city. Soon they were rehabilitating a number of rescued animals including Snuffles the bear, Mary the skunk and Maggot the hawk.

'The Zoo that Never Was' captures the funny and educational lessons Lawrence & his wife go through as they learn how to care for their ever-growing menagerie, with the aim to release each animal back into the wild when they have recovered and matured.

I really enjoyed this book because it tells a great story that is also a true one. It is funny, especially the parts including Snuffles and it is also well written, even through Lawrence did occasionally go on about scientific findings that were not exactly page turning content. Lawrence also gave a wonderful account of his relationship with Joan, who tragically died of a brain aneurysm at age 33, only 3 years after they had bought Northern Star. I loved how funny and caring he made her out to be - she sounds like someone I would have liked to meet and have as a friend (plus she was a librarian).

If you love animals and think it would be great to one day be part of a wilderness rescue project, I would highly suggest reading this book. I have two more of Lawrence's books on loan and can't wait to get into them as well.



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