Strange Animals I Have Known

by Raymond Lee Ditmars

To see the animals at the zoo on Sunday afternoon is one thing. To know them intimately, offstage, is quite another. In this book, which has delighted readers for two generations. Dr. Ditmars, who was curator of mammals and reptiles at New York’s Bronx Zoo, gives an extraordinary account of his lively encounters with hundreds of animals. “For over a quarter of a century,” writes Dr. Ditmars, “it has been my task to capture, transport, feed, nurse, soothe, fight, guard and cajole various specimens of the animal kingdom. I have been on intimate terms with snakes, bears, apes, monkeys, elephants, jaguars, tigers, buffaloes, giraffes, deer, kudus, hippos, wild horses, kiangs, rhinos, lions, cougars, leopards, kangaroos, beasts of almost every sort.” While many of his adventures seem too fantastic to be true, they really did happen.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Animals, Science, Biology

Hardcover

First published April 1, 1939

About the author

Raymond Ditmars (1876-1942) is an inspiration to all those interested in the field of Zoology, professionally or recreationally. His books read almost as a set of journal entries from Ditmars' wild adventures as a Zoologist at the NY Zoo and beyond.

Reviews

[Cutter Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth it simply for pages 71 to 72 ("A sloth's courtship has its difficulties...") The inscription in my copy reads:
I dedicate this book to Miss Frederica Walrath for making it possible for me to write the book since she is one of the strangest animals I know.
Sincerely,
Ray