FOR LOVE OF THE BEASTS

by Michel Klein ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 28, 1979

Klein is yet another veterinarian whose accounts of tricky procedures on ailing animals both entertain and enlighten. His Paris surgery has welcomed the plumber's cat and Liz Taylor's Lhasa for delicate or unique treatments, recalled in crisp anecdotes. But Klein has also served as consultant to the wildlife park at Thoiry, and these tales--of disembowelled bears, tubercular tigers, and transfused ocelots--provide a strong counterpoint to the fragile fox-terrier stories. There's a minimum of cute ironies--both the snake dancer and her boa contracted arthritis--for Klein concerns himself with conservationist issues, especially the appropriateness of zoos for endangered species. A moderate himself, he suggests that animals (even sea animals) can be made happy in man-made environments, but believes it is worse to toy with preservation or settle for half-way measures than to permit extinction. Although his own sanctuary for cheetahs failed (money and management problems), he does commend other efforts and insist on the urgency of collective responsibility. ""A vet's arm is never long enough,"" he asserts, echoing the inimitable Herriot, but it can always reach toward a receptive audience.

Pub Date: March 28, 1979

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1979

Categories: NONFICTION