Lawrence Anthony

Graham Spence

Traces the shared efforts of American soldiers, Iraqi staffpeople, conservationists, and ordinary citizens to safeguard the lives of the animals at the Baghdad Zoo who survived the outbreak of the Iraq war, an endeavor marked by hair-raising efforts to save a pride of lions, close a black-market zoo, and rescue Saddam's Arabian horses. 15,000 first printing.

The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo

Babylon's Ark

altlovesbooks

This was a neat story about a South African man with a love of animals. Like me, he watched the news during the Iraq war in 2003 and felt helpless at what he saw transpiring there. Unlike me, however, he actually did something worthwhile about it. 

Lawrence Anthony owns a wildlife preserve in South Africa, but when he heard about the state of the Baghdad Zoo after repeated bombings, looters, and being abandoned by its staff, he put some money in his pocket and headed out to do good. Much bureaucracy and red tape later he arrives at the zoo, only to see how far the conditions had fallen, how much damage was everywhere, and how few animals still remained. Not to be deterred, he puts the call out for workers and supplies, bankrolling it all out of his own pocket to start. It's an amazing tale that involves not only the rehabilitation of the Baghdad Zoo, but also several side stories involving its workers and the rescue of several exotic animals from various parts of the city. This man's a hero.

Unfortunately I just read about his passing in 2012 after reading this book, but that doesn't diminish all the awesome things he was able to accomplish in his life. This was an incredibly inspiring story, highly recommend.

The astonishing story of the soldiers, conservationists, and ordinary Iraqis who united to save the animals of the Baghdad Zoo When the Iraq war began, conservationist Lawrence Anthony could think of only one thing: the fate of the Baghdad Zoo, caught in the crossfire at the heart of the city. Once Anthony entered Iraq he discovered that hostilities and uncontrolled looting had devastated the zoo and its animals. Working with members of the zoo staff and a few compassionate U.S. soldiers, he defended the zoo, bartered for food on war-torn streets, and scoured bombed palaces for desperately needed supplies. Babylon's Ark chronicles Anthony's hair-raising efforts to save a pride of Saddam's lions, close a deplorable black-market zoo, run ostriches through shoot-to-kill checkpoints, and rescue the dictator's personal herd of Thoroughbred Arabian horses. A tale of the selfless courage and humanity of a few men and women living dangerously for all the right reasons, Babylon's Ark is an inspiring and uplifting true-life adventure of individuals on both sides working together for the sake of magnificent wildlife caught in a war zone.

Babylon's Ark The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo

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