Amelia Thomas

First of all, let's be clear about one thing: This is not the story of a zoo. It is the story of Dr. Sami of the Qalqilya Zoo, who prioritizes his job, his reputation, and his unrealistic dreams over the welfare of the animals who he's paid to care for. It is the story of a man who focuses much of his time on expanding two museums (and at the end desires three), one of Natural History and one of Agriculture, and on bringing in more animals, rather than on caring for and ensuring the welfare of those he has.

You might read this and think it's harsh, or think I'm exaggerating. I'm not. Some of the anecdotes included in the book show him taking bottles full of grass snakes from boys who bring them to him in the hopes of some reward--they're local snakes, accustomed to living in the local environment. He admits that, under his care, these snakes never survive long because they don't seem to like the food the zoo offers them. Does he let them go back into the nearby bushes where they would thrive? No, he puts them in aquariums, not expecting them to survive. There's a conversation between him and another man where it's suggested that one or two of their bears be sent to another zoo where they can live in better habitats, in a zoo which is better equipped to care for them and which has the room and the proper facilities. He laughs, thinking the idea absurd. Similarly, it was suggested that his giraffe be sent elsewhere to breed, and he scoffed at the proposition, though the other zoo clearly had better facilities--even temporarily, it was out of the question. His giraffe, lonely and alone, eventually died after having ingested some cleaner. This is a zoo where a snake was killed by the cold because a keeper forgot to turn on a heater, and where patrons through rocks at the bears, and where even the veterinarian who likely does care more for the animals than anyone else on the premises, admits that the facilities are not satisfactory. And yeah, he asks for more. This is His story, not the zoo's.

Now, here's the thing: I can admire a love of animals, and the desire to have an international zoo. I love visiting zoos, truth be told, and I admire all they do for conservation and for education--that is, I admire the good ones. It's true that a small zoo has to be built up to become an international one, a truly great one, but this isn't the way that happens. I can admire, in some ways, that Dr. Sami seems to have good intentions, if unreasonable ones. That's not enough.

As an animal lover, I have to compare the man at the center of this narrative--and those who support him--to a woman who loves dogs, and wants to take home a lot of them, but she has a very small apartment in a city, and doesn't have the money to pay for adequate food or veterinary care. But, because she wants to help dogs in the shelter and because she loves dogs, she adopts twenty of them, not understanding that she's truly ill-equipped to care for them, and that they'd be better off taking their chances at a shelter, rather than in a too small space without room or resources for even basic health and contentment. Every time Dr. Sami, in this book, asked for more animals, the truth is that I shuddered at the thought of him getting them. By the end of the book, I'd just as soon he be eaten by a lion.

Now, you want me to get back to the book. Sorry for the rant. Here's the other problem, though: I'm not even sure the writer of this book cares about animals or understands the cruelty element involved in some of what's being reported. The author, like Dr. Sami, is ever condescending, ever wry, and real compassion for the animals rarely comes through. In my humble opinion, I rather believe that this was a book about animals written for people who don't particularly like or care for animals.

Simply, I had a hard time reading this book. I was disgusted by what I read, and even in relation to the people at the center of the book working in and around the zoo. I've read other books about the survival of zoos, about people struggling to maintain the status quo in regard to a zoo, and the health and welfare of its animals, even in the middle east. This isn't a book like that. This is a book that suggests that a badly run zoo, which is ill equipped and ill staffed, is far, far, far worse than no zoo at all.

So, no, I don't recommend this book--the best thing about it is the cover, which breaks my heart now when I look at it.… (mehr)

This is the story of the neglected Qalqilya zoo, struggling to survive after falling into disrepair during decades of Israeli-Palestinian fighting. It seems a bleak and intimidating place, utterly devoid of hope until you meet the hero of the story, the compassionate and determined vet, Dr. Sami Khader, who tends to the ragtag collection of animals in enclosures pocked with bullet holes. His dream of turning Qalqilya zoo into one of international standing lies at the heart of this gem of a book which he tries to do with a lot of hope, humour and sheer persistence while working with the zoo’s shoe-string budget and battles with scheming colleagues and greedy bureaucrats.
Journalist Amelia Thomas tells this inspiring story without mushy sentimentality and dewy-eyed emotionalism making the impact of the dismal conditions and daunting obstacles shocking strong. I found it a moving testament to human resilience and good-heartedness.… (mehr)

This is a book that is interesting not only as the story of a zoo, but as a story of how people live during times of violence and war. Sami Khedar is the only veterinarian in Palestinian regions specializing in zoo animals. Although he is not the manager, he is the driving force behind the Qalailya zoo on the left bank of the Jordan river. Dr. Sami, as he is known, is determined to have a zoo that qualifies by international standards, and he is surprisingly undeterred by having to deal with war, in addition to standard, but exacerbated problems like red tape, competition for government funding, Sami nurses abandoned infants in his home, with the less than joyous cooperation of his wife. He builds three museums inside the zoo; he used his taxidermy skills to provide the exhibits for the Natural History Museum. He seeks assistance and animals from other zoos in the region, and often gets them with the help of other zookeepers and veterinarians who, like Sami, put their profession above politics. It is also somewhat surprising to read about life in a Palestinian city during the turmoil of Arab-Israeli struggles. I must say that I never expected one of the projects of the embattled government to be purchasing carnival rides to build a fun fair for the children. I guess that people struggle to maintain a normal life, and need to be able to convince themselves that their efforts will not be in vain.… (mehr)