The Aye-Aye and I: A Rescue Journey to Save One of the World's Most Intriguing Creatures from Extinction (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I once described Madagascar as looking like a badly presented omelettes, lying in the Indian Ocean off Africa's eastern flank, from which it was wrenched..." (more)
Key Phrases: baby lemurs, honey balls, television team, Lac Alaotra, Bloxam Box, Captain Bob (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Age cannot wither nor custom stale the boundless enthusiasm of Durrell ( The Ark's Anniversary ) in his efforts to rescue endangered species. Here he is in Madagascar--with his wife, Lee, and a BBC crew--to film and to capture for breeding the rare aye-aye, a nocturnal lemur of Africa's east coast rain forests. As his party travels through the countryside over impossible roads and rickety bridges, Durrell gives marvelous descriptions of inns and markets. Once settled in camp, he is able to find an aye-aye captive at the Biosphere Reserve, but the wild ones remain elusive. After the film crew departs, Durrell and his scouts come upon six aye-ayes for his Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust, plus a mate for the captive aye-aye. Adventure, humor and a serious scientific mission add up to first-rate entertainment. Photos.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

What do you do when you are an avid naturalist, founder and head of the noted Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust, and you have a spiritual experience with a little-known, extremely rare primate called an aye-aye? If you are the author, you muster an expedition to film and capture the creature to preserve it for future generation. Like its predecessors (e.g., The Ark's Anniversary , LJ 8/91), Durrell's 24th book is an often humorous romp to a faraway place--this time, the island of Madagascar off the southeast coast of Africa. Readers will be entertained by Durrell's descriptions of events that occurred during the expedition to capture a breeding population of aye-aye. Durrell also gives readers a feel for the difficulties encountered in dealing with the politics and inconveniences of Third World countries, but never in a derogatory or sarcastic manner. The Aye-Aye and I is rich in description yet never bogs down in scientific detail. For popular natural history collections.
- Edell Marie Schaefer, Brookfield P.L., Wis.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (July 12, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671884395
• ISBN-13: 978-0671884390
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #549,483 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #14 in	Books > History > Africa > Madagascar
  #69 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Field Guides > Mammals
  #98 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Conservation > Wildlife

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars loquacious lemurs make good, August 24, 2002

By	Walter Fred Korman (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, being already more than sold on the value proposition presented by lemurs of all shapes and sizes. I'm convinced that the lemur is destined to become the most popular primate of the millenium, and this book should be at the top of the charts for those wishing to catch the rising tide of lemur fanatics. The San Francisco Zoo's new Lipman Family Lemur Forest exhibit presents two of only twelve Aye-ayes in the United States, and having visited it recently I now plan to return next weekend to apply the newfound in-depth Aye-aye background I've gleaned from my reading of this book. Moreover, lemurs are but the tip of the iceberg here! Rife with hilarious descriptions of Giant Jumping rats, tortoises, and grubs of all shapes and sizes, Durrell's personal tone, dry wit, and entertaining presentation kept me amused and reading until the wee hours of the morn. I'll be seeking out more of his works, and would happily recommend this to anyone with an interest in lemurs, obscure regions of the world, travel, conservation, the Aye-aye, and furry or reptilian critters, period.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aye-aye!, December 7, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Aye-Aye and I (Hardcover)

With a career spanning decades and continents, and with a gift for writing witty and articulate accounts of his animal-catching adventures in so many different times & places, it seems predictable that the originality and enthusiasm which Gerald Durrell offers should vary from story to story or from book to book. And they do; some volumes are ecstatically joyous and quite fast-paced, while a few stories drag a bit or feature rather sarcastic caricatures of certain persons. Overall, however, I find Durrell's writing some of the most amusing and informative stuff that I've encountered in the last year. Therefore I have bought a copy of every Gerald Durrell title that I've located. It's quality stuff that I intend to keep long-term and reccomend to friends. "The AyeAye and I" is no exception, and I am pleased to have a hardcover edition. Thanks, Amazon!

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully worded anthology of life in Madagascar., November 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Aye-Aye and I (Hardcover)

Durrell's writing brings the reader behind the scenes in this awesome and mystical country. Travel to unexplored villages and rainforests and expirence life in the cities. Awe inspiring indeed.