Release of the book "Babylon's Ark, The incredible wartime rescue of the Baghdad zoo." In early 2003, during the American led invasion of Iraq, South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony...
Babylon's Ark,
The incredible wartime rescue of the Baghdad zoo.
In early 2003, during the American led invasion of Iraq, South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony, realizing there would be no one looking after the Baghdad Zoo which was the biggest zoo in the Middle East, immediately left his Thula Thula Game Reserve home in Zululand South Africa for war blockaded Kuwait.
Once there, Lawrence somehow wrangled his way into becoming the first civilian [media excepted] to gain military access to Iraq and then hired a car and with two Kuwaiti guides drove unarmed and unescorted 500 miles through the biggest war zone since Vietnam, right into the violent heart of Baghdad itself tobring relief tothe animals.
Confronted by an appalling situation at the zoo, cut off from the world and completely surrounded by fighting and looting, Lawrence and a few loyal Iraqi zoo workers overcame every cant be done, to begin the rescue of the biggest zoo in the Middle East literally out of nothing.
Buying donkeys on the war torn streets to feed the lions and tigers, looting abandoned palaces and hotels for supplies and equipment, and hauling buckets full of water from nearby canals, they kept the animals alive and defended the zoo against armed intruders and aggressive looters.
Lawrence found himself a bed with the fighting troops and the tank crews of the US 3rd Infantry Division in the derelict Al Rashid hotel, made friends and allied individual soldiers, Army photographersand foreign mercenaries to his cause gaining desperately needed help and protection.
If that was not enough, Lawrence persuaded these new friends in their off time to help him rescue abused lions, cheetahs, and ostriches, from the Hussein family palaces, in some of the bravest and most daring escapades imaginable.
US Captain William Sumner joined him and together they became the "go to" guys at the Zoo. Brendan Whittington-Jones. Lawrences game reserve managercame out from South Africa to help,and together with Iraqi veterinarian Farah Murrani, and the few brave zoo staff, they formed an intrepid team which secured the zoo and somehow kept the remaining animals alive and the zoo safe in extreme circumstances.
Not satisfied, the team conducted bold raids to rescue starving and dehydrated bears, wolves, monkeys, camels, and many other animals from horrific menageries in the dangerous areas of Baghdads red zones and brought them back to the zoo.
They were, from time to time assisted [and sometimes hindered] in this by other wildlife groups who pitched in to help.
Most amazingly the team located Saddam Husseins personal herd of Arabian horses, stolen during the invasion, andarranged an audacious military raid to retrieve them from the black market in the notorious Abu Ghraib area, and returned these priceless national treasures to the Iraqi people.
All of this and more was achieved in a city at war where on arrival Lawrence didnt know a soul, didnt speak the language and didnt know the culture. It is actually quite amazing that he even survived at all, never mind achieved what he did.
At its conclusion, the book gives a sobering summary of the dwindling spiral of life on Earth as a result of the deterioration of the Plant and Animal kingdoms and the planets environment.
"Babylon's Ark,"the incredible story of what must truly be one of the great animal rescues of our timeispublished by Phillip Dunne books/Saint Martins Press of New York.
Reviews
Babylon's Ark received a starred literary reviews in the United States, from the American Library Association and Kirkus Reviews denoting a book of remarkable merit.
The book is being carried by all major book stores in the US, England and South Africa,or can be orderedonline at: http://www.amazon.com/Babylons-Ark-Incredible-Wartime-Baghdad/dp/0312358326/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4403239-2402464?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173172116&sr=8-1
United Kingdom
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You can also buy the book online at the following shops in the US:
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