Zoo Tails [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Oliver Graham Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2001

In 1951 Oliver Graham Jones was appointed Curator of mammals at London Zoo, becoming Senior Veterinary Officer in 1960, a post he held until his retirement in 1969. This is a collection of tales from his days at the zoo during the 1950s and 1960s.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

“One puff adder, one antelope, one crocodile.” This was the list of sick animals presented to Oliver Graham–Jones on his first day as chief veterinarian at London Zoo. It was 1951, and the care of zoo animals was in its infancy. Sick animals had previously been placed in the hands of their keepers and kept from public view, but Graham–Jones was about to change all that. A pioneer of many of the techniques now used by vets around the world, he was instrumental in building the first animal hospital and bringing London Zoo into the modern world of veterinary medicine. Zoo Tails is filled with his most memorable experiences, from performing a colostomy on a python to fitting a raven with a wooden leg. As funny as it is fascinating, this is a book for animal lovers everywhere. Founder of the British Veterinary Zoological Society, Oliver Graham–Jones is widely regarded as Britain’s most distinguished vet.

About the Author

In 1951 Oliver Graham-Jones became London Zoo's first inhouse veterinary officer and curator of mammals, and worked there for 15 years, before leaving to become a lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College. It took him seven years to write Zoo Tails. He now lives in Selsey, near Chichester, with his wife, Josephine. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Transworld Pub; illustrated edition edition (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0593049314
• ISBN-13: 978-0593049310
• ASIN: 0593047230
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,864,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zoo Tails written by the most respected & well known zoo vet, June 6, 2002

By 

J. Graham-Jones "Jasper" (Hayling Island, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zoo Tails (Paperback)

Zoo Tails written by the most respected and well-known zoo vet
This book is great and it gives you a warm feeling of humanity, exploring insights into the world of a zoo vet. It is both funny, sad, and 100% real life. Oliver Graham-Jones was the first vet to work at the well-known London Zoo in the 1950's. It was a time of great change and developments in animal welfare. During his time at London zoo he helped stop TB, developed the dart gun, and many surgical procedures that are now undertaken by human Doctors today. They including hip implants, heart implants, etc. The book is made up of 26 individual stories that make a larger whole, which makes it ideal for a train, bedtime or bath time reads. It is available (at Amazon)in soft and hard back (Large and small print version)and on audio tape and it was number ten in the best sellers lists last year in the UK. It will make an ideal present for all ages and backgrounds.
The forwards were from Dr Desmond Morris and Sir Patrick Moore, who are Oliver's great friends. If you have any comments on the book please leave your message,
As you might have guessed by now the author is my 83 dear old father who I am very proud. I was involved in some of the original proof reading and have actually read the book many times. However, it is one of those rare books that can be read and re-read.
Have a great read. Best regards
Dr Jasper Graham-Jones

5.0 out of 5 stars The author's experiences as the chief vet at the London Zoo, June 3, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zoo Tails (Hardcover)

The author's experiences as the chief vet at the London Zoo began in 1951 with an inventory of sick animals at the zoo. In short time he established the world's first animal hospital and introduced the world to new concepts of veterinary medicine: Zoo Tails surveys his experiences and his unusual patients and treatments, adding a dose of humor to the mix.

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderfully funny stories told with delightful humour, March 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Zoo Tails (Hardcover)

Book Description
Gerald Durrell meets James Herriot. Oliver Graham-Jones recalls his time as the chief vet at London Zoo, and some of the extraordinary animals he met along the way.

Synopsis
In 1951 Oliver Graham Jones was appointed Curator of mammals at London Zoo, becoming Senior Veterinary Officer in 1960, a post he held until his retirement in 1969. This is a collection of tales from his days at the zoo during the 1950s and 1960s.

From the Back Cover
One Puff Adder One antelope One crocodile

This was the list of sick animals presented to Oliver Graham-Jones on his first day as veterinary officer at London Zoo.

It was 1951, and the care of wild animals in zoos was in its infancy. Previously, sick animals had been placed in the hands of their keepers and kept from public view. But Oliver Graham-Jones was to change all this. A pioneer of many of the techniques now used by vets around the worl, he was instrumental in building the first animal hospital and moving London Zoo away from its Victorian past into the high-tech world of modern vetinary medicine.

If a dangerous animal escaped or required urgent medical attention, Oliver was always on hand ready for any eventuality. In Zoo Tails, he tells us about some of the extraordinary animals he looked after: how he anaesthetized, and was chased by, a gorilla; captured an angry polar bear in thick fog; performed a colostomy on a python; and fitted a raven in the Tower of London with a wooden leg.

Filled with wonderfully funny stories, told with delightfully self-deprecating humour, this is a book that will appeal to lovers of animals great and small.

"Zoo Tails"' will raise many a smile and, along the way, a greater appreciation of what it is to play doctor to the most exotic collection of patients in the world.' Desmond Morris