DR FISHERS LIFE ON THE ARK

Growing up in Chicago, my mother started taking my brother and I to Lincoln Park Zoo as toddlers. As we got older, we took behind the scenes classes, worked in a 4-H Club that took care of the animals in the Farm in the Zoo, and Dr. Fisher was always a frequent visitor to see how we were enjoying our time with the animals. He made a huge impression on me, and I appreciated that he treated us kids as adults and always gave us a number of opportunities to learn about the many zoo animals. We were there one day, and Otto the gorilla escaped his outside enclosure. The zoo was in an uproar, and all my mom and I could do was stand back and watch while Otto was walking around (we kept a safe distance though). It tickled me to death that Dr. Fisher talks about that day in his autobiography and I got to relive that moment all over. Was also excited to find this was an autographed copy, as I have been trying to add autographed biographies of people I admire to my book collection. This one is extra special. Book arrived quickly and was in the condition listed in description. I would order from this bookseller again.

I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy reading about Dr. Fisher, however, once I started I couldn't stop. I was fascinated by the tales about zoo life, animals, and all the behind the scene details you never think of when visiting the zoo. I enjoyed the fact that it was short chapters and read quickly. The tales towards the end of the book about his travels was hilarious. A great book for all!

Animal lovers will envy Dr. Fisher's remarkably exciting life with the zoo animals, many of whom he fetches with his team, from the plains & forests where the animals live. Easy reading & fun.

I bought this as a birthday present for my hubby.He LOVES animals. And, he enjoyed itvery much!!! 8-D

Fun Read!!

Fun read, having worked with Dr. Fisher for 25 years it was a good to remember the times at LPZ.

Every kid who grew up in Chicago in the 70s remembers Dr. Lester Fisher from his "Ark in the Park" segments on the Ray Rayner Show. Now, Dr. Fisher has written an interesting and anecdotal book about his years as head veterinarian and director at Lincoln Park Zoo.Here are his tales of gorillas getting out of their cages and being coaxed back in with snakes, of which they are afraid; of the polar bear whose fur turned green, and the polar bear who ate too many marshmallows; of the leopard who ate his own mate; of Prince Phillip visiting the zoo and getting ape waste thrown at him (and taking it very kindly); of the flamingo who flew away; of the chimpanzees who had "tea parties" - two of whom, Keo and June, are still living at the zoo. Fisher also talks about his appearances on TV, including the Halloween show in which he tried to pass his black cat off as a "Scottish wild cat." He ends the book with a long description of his African travels.The book is well-written and easy to read, and would be enjoyable for anyone interested in the inner workings of a major zoo. The photos are excellent - notice the spectacled bear and the gorillas. Chicagoans, of course, will enjoy this book even more. I wish he had included maps of the old and new zoo configurations, so I could see how things changed over the years, but that's a minor quibble from a long-time visitor.To sum up: You'll read about green alligators and long-necked geese, some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees, some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born, you'll enjoy this book even with no unicorns!

I love this book.None of the stories contained in this book are more than a few pages long, but each one is as fascinating and memorable as the last. Dr. Fisher's penchant for brevity may leave some readers wanting more details, but the the good doctor gives us just enough to get his stories across. His simplistic approach to storytelling gives the book an almost intimate feeling.The writing style may not be for everyone, but I felt like the pacing fit perfectly with the anecdotal nature of the stories. The whole book feels like you're sitting down with Dr. Fisher and he's just rattling off story after story about things that happened to him once. In some ways, it's the casual way that he talks about remarkable things (from taking care of Patton's dog to delivering a baby cow in the middle of a ferocious storm to tracking down escaped gorillas) that makes this book so interestings.Many of the stories are funny. Some of them are sad. All of them are fascinating.