Travel to South America

Time Is Short and the Water Rises, Operation Gwam Ba: The Story of the Rescue of 10,000 Animals from Certain Death in a South American Rain Forest

Format: Hardcover
Author: John, Walsh
ReleaseDate: January, 1967
Publisher: E P Dutton
Rating:

Informative and entertaining
the author makes no pretences to have extensive knowledge of Suriname and writes to what he knows (zoology). An entertaining read that reminds me of the style of the Jacques Cousteau books of the same time period. He's no armchair anthropologist.
I found this refreshing since most books on Suriname only address cultural aspects.

If you're planning a first trip to Suriname there are probably better resources of information, but if you are interested in the premise alone, or have been to the big lake at Afobaka this is a great book.

Time Is Short and the Water Rises
Sometimes sad, other times humorous, always touching, a book to read over and over again. A heartwarming true story told the way it happened by the man who lived the event. Conducting a massive animal rescue operation in the middle of a rain forest, John Walsh proved it could be done and in the process taught an unknown concept to the bushnegroes he worked with - That instead of thinking of the capybara or the tapirs as the next meal, it was not time for the animals to die. It was not right to kill them for food now. A book every animal lover should read.

A memorable book
John Walsh describes, in great and interesting detail, life in the Amazon Rain Forest as lived by scientists who were sent there to rescue 10,000 animals that live in an area that is being turned in to a lake by the building of a dam. I read this book as a teenager (some 20+ years ago) and it has always stuck with me. This book is gripping and helps the reader both understand the trials faced by the scientists as well as the urgency of their work in the face of the ever rising water. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys adventure reading. Now that I have a teenager of my own - I have ordered it for him!.

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