Beasts in My Belfry

"A loving chronicle of jitter-bugging gnus, singing duets with a bear, stealing eggs to feed the Arctic foxes, practising tiger sniffs . . . Highly entertaining and informative" The Times

Over a year at Whipsnade Zoo we encounter a typically absurd cast - including Albert the lion, who's a dab hand at ventriloquism, and Teddy the brown bear, with whom the young Durrell sings duets. This is a charming account of Gerald Durrell's first job as a student keeper in Whipsnade Park in 1945. With notebook and pen in hand, the eager young Durrell observes his co-workers and animal charges alike. Whether getting dirty mucking out the buffalo enclosure or attempting to cajole a jitter-bugging gnus into a transportation crate, life at the zoo is certainly never boring.

PRAISE FOR GERALD DURRELL

"A hilarious record that no Durrell fan will want to miss" Sunday Telegraph

"Durrell manages to convey not only that he loves animals, but that he enjoys life too - and wants you to enjoy it with him" Daily Mirror