Reviews
Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo by Lawrence Anthony, Graham Spence
katerister's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars. The true story/memoir of the late, famous conservationist, Lawrence Anthony - who rescued the animals abandoned in Baghdad Zoo right after the fall of Saddam Hussein. More than the Baghdad Zoo, he also rescued animals from other local zoos, off the black market, and the animals abandoned in Saddam’s palace.
I really, really the book, but didn’t fall IN LOVE with it like I loved his other memoir “The Elephant Whisperer”. This book was more about the logistics of saving a zoo in a war zone, not as much to do with the relationships with the animals (which is what I loved so much about The Elephant Whisperer). Seeing as I don’t have a working knowledge of military strategy, colloquialisms, etc., some details were lost on me and therefore the story didn’t speak to me at the same, deep, spiritual, emotional level The Elephant Whisperer did.
Regardless, this was still an important and fascinating read. Lawrence Anthony was an incredibly brave, loyal and determined person - someone we should all acknowledge and sing his praises.
I really, really the book, but didn’t fall IN LOVE with it like I loved his other memoir “The Elephant Whisperer”. This book was more about the logistics of saving a zoo in a war zone, not as much to do with the relationships with the animals (which is what I loved so much about The Elephant Whisperer). Seeing as I don’t have a working knowledge of military strategy, colloquialisms, etc., some details were lost on me and therefore the story didn’t speak to me at the same, deep, spiritual, emotional level The Elephant Whisperer did.
Regardless, this was still an important and fascinating read. Lawrence Anthony was an incredibly brave, loyal and determined person - someone we should all acknowledge and sing his praises.
altlovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
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.
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.
allieeveryday's review against another edition
4.0
Considering I was teenager during the Iraq War, I feel like I should have known something (anything!) about what the war was like. As I read, I kept being surprised by the country, the culture, the landscape of it all and wondering, how did I miss this whole thing so badly?
Babylon's Ark showed me a lot of the things I missed - what it was like under the Hussein regime, the horrors of Saddam and his son Uday and how they treated both their people and their animals, and what had to be done to survive in an active war-zone.
In addition to teaching me a lot, the book also kept me really entertained and engaged, and Anthony was a good storyteller, though I think it could have used a tighter edit (a lot of punctuation issues, which hindered readability in places). Anthony's passion for animals came through from page one, and his descriptions of life on the ground in Baghdad were vivid. His optimism was relentless (even when he felt so out of his depth with how much work needed to be done), and that was inspiring. The zoo managed to get water, food, materials, funding, EVERYTHING - essentially - on a wing and a prayer and a heck of a lot of luck and good will from the relationships Anthony built while there, with American soldiers, war-zone photographers, and various wildlife agencies outside Iraq.
Anthony emphasized that the work was always for the animals, as he worked closely with the zoo administrators and staff to obtain necessary supplies and protect the zoo against looters; he also emphasized the intent was always to leave the Iraqis in control of the renovated zoo, as they worked together to rescue abused and injured animals. (Admittedly I only have experience as a white semi-Jewish American and not as a white Zulu South African, and therefore I did feel a few moments that I wondered if they were too white savior-y, but ... using your privilege to help others? I have some things bouncing around in my head to think about.)
Ultimately, an engaging and educational read. I'd recommend it if you like to hear about rescuing animals or want to learn more about the Iraq War from a "neutral" perspective.
Babylon's Ark showed me a lot of the things I missed - what it was like under the Hussein regime, the horrors of Saddam and his son Uday and how they treated both their people and their animals, and what had to be done to survive in an active war-zone.
In addition to teaching me a lot, the book also kept me really entertained and engaged, and Anthony was a good storyteller, though I think it could have used a tighter edit (a lot of punctuation issues, which hindered readability in places). Anthony's passion for animals came through from page one, and his descriptions of life on the ground in Baghdad were vivid. His optimism was relentless (even when he felt so out of his depth with how much work needed to be done), and that was inspiring. The zoo managed to get water, food, materials, funding, EVERYTHING - essentially - on a wing and a prayer and a heck of a lot of luck and good will from the relationships Anthony built while there, with American soldiers, war-zone photographers, and various wildlife agencies outside Iraq.
Anthony emphasized that the work was always for the animals, as he worked closely with the zoo administrators and staff to obtain necessary supplies and protect the zoo against looters; he also emphasized the intent was always to leave the Iraqis in control of the renovated zoo, as they worked together to rescue abused and injured animals. (Admittedly I only have experience as a white semi-Jewish American and not as a white Zulu South African, and therefore I did feel a few moments that I wondered if they were too white savior-y, but ... using your privilege to help others? I have some things bouncing around in my head to think about.)
Ultimately, an engaging and educational read. I'd recommend it if you like to hear about rescuing animals or want to learn more about the Iraq War from a "neutral" perspective.
kahawa's review
4.0
Well written, a different perspective on war and its many side stories, in this case, the impact it has on animals. This was more about the operational elements of rescuing Baghdadi zoo animals than it was about the exploits of those animals themselves, making them seem a bit like props than sentient experiencers.
Anthony's actions were brave and showed that things don't always get done by the book.
I took off a star because there was a whiff of paternalistic colonialism to his treatment of locals. While he sometimes reflected on the desperate situation of Iraqis taking things from the zoo, they were always 'looters', but when he took things from Saddam's Palace he was 'acquiring needed supplies'. I guess it's never looting when 'we' do it.
Anthony's actions were brave and showed that things don't always get done by the book.
I took off a star because there was a whiff of paternalistic colonialism to his treatment of locals. While he sometimes reflected on the desperate situation of Iraqis taking things from the zoo, they were always 'looters', but when he took things from Saddam's Palace he was 'acquiring needed supplies'. I guess it's never looting when 'we' do it.
blackberryandleaf's review
5.0
Think about what things you are willing to do to help animals. Make a donation to a charity? Volunteer at a local shelter or sanctuary? Perhaps assist with rescues? How about camping yourself in the middle of a war-torn region with the minimum of resources and a lot of gunfire? That is exactly what one man, Lawrence Anthony, did.
This book tells the remarkable story of Lawrence who decided to prove a point about the value of wildlife by venturing into war-torn Baghdad to save the deserted animals at the zoo. It would have been far easier to shoot those animals on the spot when he arrived to put them out of their misery, but this was not why he was there. He was there to say that the callousness of humans against nature and animals has gone too far and that those animals deserve life and respect.
Anthony Lawrence is an engaging storyteller and if I did not know better I would think that some of the events that happened were fiction. I must admit that I have very little knowledge of the situation in Iraq before the war so it was interesting yet appalling to read about some of that too. It gives a backdrop as to how animals could be relegated to such deplorable conditions. Saddam Hussein, his administration and his family reigned terror on their people and this reflected in how the animals were treated.
Another fascinating aspect of the book was the ethics of animal conservation. Anthony Lawrence states that theory can be nice but when faced with practical reality you have to be "pragmatic". He was referring specifically to some conservationists' objections to using donkeys as meat for the lions. The final chapters bring the clashes of various agencies and ideologies to the fore - should captive animals be set free? Should animals be considered property or cultural "assets"? What is the place of zoos and what compromises can be made?
From my point of view, there is a real dilemma in killing animals to feed carnivorous beings like lions. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't. But there is absolutely no need for humans to do so to feed themselves as they did in this book. I also did not understand the arbitrary nature of the conservationists wanting to save the horses from Arabian stock but not 'regular' horses. This is putting an anthropocentric rationale as to which beings to save purely on their economic value and heritage rather than their inherent right to life.
Overall, this is a very engaging book from a pure storytelling point of view. I have nothing but admiration and esteem for people who will risk their lives to assist those in situations of hardship and exploitation. It was a very thought-provoking story but in my opinion, falls short in the solutions offered.
This book tells the remarkable story of Lawrence who decided to prove a point about the value of wildlife by venturing into war-torn Baghdad to save the deserted animals at the zoo. It would have been far easier to shoot those animals on the spot when he arrived to put them out of their misery, but this was not why he was there. He was there to say that the callousness of humans against nature and animals has gone too far and that those animals deserve life and respect.
Anthony Lawrence is an engaging storyteller and if I did not know better I would think that some of the events that happened were fiction. I must admit that I have very little knowledge of the situation in Iraq before the war so it was interesting yet appalling to read about some of that too. It gives a backdrop as to how animals could be relegated to such deplorable conditions. Saddam Hussein, his administration and his family reigned terror on their people and this reflected in how the animals were treated.
Another fascinating aspect of the book was the ethics of animal conservation. Anthony Lawrence states that theory can be nice but when faced with practical reality you have to be "pragmatic". He was referring specifically to some conservationists' objections to using donkeys as meat for the lions. The final chapters bring the clashes of various agencies and ideologies to the fore - should captive animals be set free? Should animals be considered property or cultural "assets"? What is the place of zoos and what compromises can be made?
From my point of view, there is a real dilemma in killing animals to feed carnivorous beings like lions. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't. But there is absolutely no need for humans to do so to feed themselves as they did in this book. I also did not understand the arbitrary nature of the conservationists wanting to save the horses from Arabian stock but not 'regular' horses. This is putting an anthropocentric rationale as to which beings to save purely on their economic value and heritage rather than their inherent right to life.
Overall, this is a very engaging book from a pure storytelling point of view. I have nothing but admiration and esteem for people who will risk their lives to assist those in situations of hardship and exploitation. It was a very thought-provoking story but in my opinion, falls short in the solutions offered.
rdpulfer's review
3.0
This is an incredible true story, detailing the rescue of the Baghdad Zoo. The book pulls no punches details the squalid conditions of the wartime zoo - but the effort put in my conservationist Lawrence Anthony along with volunteers and soldiers of all walks of life is truly inspiring. If I had one complaint, it's that the human conflict really doesn't crystalize until the very end of the book, and the momentum suffers as a result. Still, it's an excellent book for both history lovers and animal lovers!
beneatthetrees's review against another edition
5.0
“As living organisms, we are all part of the greater whole, and as such, we are embodied with the same fundamental purpose: to survive. And to do so— as individuals, families, groups, and as a species— we have to live in dynamic collaboration with the plant and animal kingdoms in a healthy, life-sustaining environment.”
Holy shit was it a beautiful experience to read about humans from all over the world uniting to rescue animals in a scary and potentially deadly situation. An incredibly moving and touching book. TW for animal cruelty though, I shed many a tear.
Holy shit was it a beautiful experience to read about humans from all over the world uniting to rescue animals in a scary and potentially deadly situation. An incredibly moving and touching book. TW for animal cruelty though, I shed many a tear.