Life at the Zoo: Behind the Scenes with the Animal Doctors

OK, I was ready for exciting personal experiences and details about veterinary treatment of zoo animals. This book contains very little of that and a whole lot about zoo management, administration, etc. While I certainly acknowledge the vast amount of work necessary to operate a zoo and see that it runs smoothly with necessary provisions for all the animals; that is not what I was looking to read when I purchased this book. I was hoping to learn how they get a hippo to let you work on his teeth; or get an elephant to pick up its feet, or learn if they vaccinate all the equine animals in the zoo, if so how? Nope, this wasn't it for me.

This book provides a lot of information, but it is not the information you would probably expect. The book jumps around from personal biographical experiences to text-book information on zoos. What upset me was the fact that it never gave a complete perspective of either. It was like a copy a paste of 25% of a textbook, and 25% of a biography. You missed out on 75% of textbook information, and 75% of the biography information.The good news is that the 25% of the textbook information, and the 25% of the biography information was amazing and a very interesting read. You will just be disappointed in the fact that there is not enough of it.

This is a delightful book. From the dust jacket to the illustrations and index, it is beautifully produced. The author, standing on the left in the dust jacket photo, provides an important inside look at life in the zoo. Robinson's career as a field biologist and zoo veterinarian at the world famous Zoological Society of San Diego provide him great insights into the minds of beasts and bureaucracies. Much of this book is will be great interest to historians of animal collections and veterinary medicine for exotics. However, any dedicated zoo patron will find this account rich and the book will reach a very broad audience among students of animal behavior, aspiring veterinarians, animal lovers and zoo keepers. The anecdotes are lively and poignant, and will resonant with those who have worked behind the scenes in similar facilities. I especially liked the tale of the infamous Ken Allen, an orangutan Houdini!This is a book that needed writing and Phillip Robinson was the one to do it. A leading authority on zoo medicine, the author also proves himself a skillful writer and storyteller. Life at the Zoo should be at the top of your shopping list for any animal lovers or aspiring ethologists.

"Life at the Zoo" opened up the zoo world for me and provided a long and candid glimpse into how zoos function. Before reading this book I couldn't imagine how anyone could begin to provide medical care for such a diverse population of animals. I got the feeling that I was looking over the fence, peeking through the cracks and peering over the shoulder of veterinarians, animal keepers and visitors. The author writes authoritatively about what animals experience in zoos and the grave responsibility that zoo personnel have in nurturing and protecting them from both people and themselves. I appreciated the parts that discussed wildlife conservation and ethics, and others about the construction of zoo exhibits and some of the nuts, including employees, who frequent zoos. This book made me a better informed zoo visitor. I now have more of a sense of purpose and understanding when I go to my zoo. One of the high points was the author's dry sense of humor and unassuming way of sharing his experiences. Anyone who likes animals and who is curious about the role of zoos in wildlife conservation will find this valuable.

The author is very clear in his introduction to his book by saying that it is not a "how-to" book. It is instead a very insightful and anecdotal account of what it's like to be a veterinarian/zookeeper/curator in a zoo. His stories about his own experiences and historical accounts of advancements in the industry do well to remind us how far we have come and how far we have yet to go in caring for our animal charges. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the zoo industry and wants a better understanding of what it's like behind the scenes.

Interesting read