My Gorilla Journey: Living with the Orphans of the Rain - Softcover

Attwater, Helen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0330370456 ISBN 13: 9780330370455

Publisher: Pan Books, 2000

Synopsis

This is the story of life with fifty or more of the most endearing animals in the worldHelen Attwater met her husband Mark while they were working at London's Royal Festival Hall. They both had a sense for adventure, but little did they realise then that they would soon be heading off to set up an orphanage for baby gorillas in the heart of Africa. And even less that they would become embroiled in a bloody civil war..It is a story of hope and endurance set in Congo, one of the last truly exotic locations in the world - as detailed by Redmond O'Hanlon in his bestselling Congo Journey. Indeed, the Attwaters appear in that book.They reared gorillas orphaned by poachers until they could be reintroduced into the wild, in a supposedly 'protected' area of the rainforest. They battled against terrible living conditions, tropical disease and a high mortality rate among their very distressed charges, but came to gain the gorillas' trust, that of the community around them, and the respect of the wildlife protection establishment.

About this title

Review:

Helen Attwater met her future husband Mark when they worked together at London's Royal Festival Hall; both knew that they shared a deep sense of adventure, but neither could have ever imagined that they would spend their lives living in the heart of Africa caring for orphaned baby gorillas.

This remarkable story of a life spent with 50 or more of the world's most endearing and vulnerable animals is far more than just a book about gorillas. It is a stunning, heartrending story of compassion in the face of harsh brutality, of utter determination in the face of adversity and ultimately of love, not just between an exceptional man and woman, but between two species.

Helen Attwater writes with an all-consuming passion for her subject and not only allows the reader to eavesdrop on a life that most of us can barely even imagine, but encourages a deeper understanding of the politics and culture which provide the backdrop for her work. My Gorilla Journey is a vital, well-written autobiography which avoids any kind of self-indulgence, but is instead an inspiring, heartwarming and thought-provoking story of a woman whose life is filled with true love and enviable devotion to an important cause. --Susan Harrison

Synopsis:

Helen Attwater and her husband Mark reared gorillas in Africa that were orphaned by poachers. The animals were then reintroduced into the wild, in a supposedly "protected" area of the rainforest. Battling against terrible conditions, the couple gained the gorillas' trust.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pan Books
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0330370456
• ISBN 13: 9780330370455
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320