This collection of essays investigates the logistical and ethical challenges of operating a private zoo dedicated to the preservation of endangered species. Gerald Durrell, a renowned naturalist and founder of the Jersey Zoo, utilizes his extensive field experience to document the complexities of animal husbandry and international wildlife rescue. The work serves as both a personal memoir of his career and a passionate argument for the necessity of captive breeding programs in the face of global habitat loss.

This work is regarded as a quintessential example of Durrell's accessible and humorous approach to natural history writing. The text provides a clear window into the mid-twentieth-century conservation movement through the lens of a dedicated practitioner.