Camel Lot: The True Story of a Zoo-Illogical Farm

by Moselle Schaffer

The personal account of a woman who moved with her husband to a farm in order to have a place to keep their small airplane, but ended up using it to raise exotic animals and run a bed-and-breakfast

Genres: Nonfiction

274 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author tells of her farm, which included camels, zebras, tigers, monkeys, and more.

I'm a sucker for these 'I loved animals so much I had a bunch of them around me' stories. This one had some amusing bits and the author seems like someone who loves animals through and through. There were some parts that caused me to wince, though. I actually checked the copyright to see if this was written back in the 60's. Keeping tigers on a farm, letting a cat have dozens and dozens of kittens (then kind of complaining that it's happening) - old school. Thankfully things have changed in the thirty years this came out.

[Kathy Govreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a gift for me because I love camels. I loved this book. It is a "keeper."

[Kressel Housman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Animal lovers looking for an upbeat read can’t go wrong with this memoir by the owner of a small, private zoo. The author’s tone is conversational and draws you right into her world. Her menagerie is varied; she’s got camels, tigers, monkeys, llamas, goats, and more, and she tells the acquisition stories of each. The funniest stories involve unsuspecting repairmen and surprising inter-species friendships, though there are a few gross-out stories thrown in. There’s drama in it, too; she had to nurse a few of the animals through life-threatening illnesses. The author is also a pilot, and while I found her flight stories less interesting, the bulk of the book is about the animals anyway. Camel Lot sure sounds like a fun place to visit! I guess I’ll have to content myself with this book as second best.