TIME IS SHORT AND THE WATER RISES

Walsh, 6'4"" and twenty-three, recently spearheaded the most massive animal rescue operation in History and saved about 10,000 beasts from certain death by starvation and drowning. This was in the South American rain forest of Surinam (formerly Dutch Guiana). A new dam built by Alcoa Aluminum was filling and causing the inundation of 870 square miles of forest until even the trees were deep under. Walsh, an official of the International Society for the Protection of Animals, and trained for handling emergencies involving wildlife, went into the forest and organized native helpers. He spent eighteen months going about dwindling islands and water-level tree tops plucking animals to safety. He used special equipment for capturing beasts, his own ingenuity, and had to learn to native dialect. The animals included sloths, armadillos, tortoises, porcupines, anteaters and even snakes. His greatest dangers were from vampire bats (which gave him rabies), piranha fish, and a large anaconda he fought to a draw in a hand-to-hand battle while standing in a lake. When he left he had curried the region clean of animal life. A remarkable first book, well-written and inspiring on several levels.