Babylon's Ark: the incredible wartime rescue of the Baghdad Zoo by Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence

Finally! A nonfiction book that I absolutely love and adore! I can't believe I found one! Hooray! or should I say hooah!

Lawrence Anthony is the founder of a wild animal preserve in South Africa who felt a calling after the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He had heard rumors of the best zoo in Arabia being decimated and that the animals were in desperate need of care. So he went. He knew the right people in the right places--ambassadors, bureaucrats, and military men who could get him into the country with some supplies and two Kuwaiti assistants. The three men luckily made it into Baghdad and learned quickly that the war was not over. Through bribery, bartering, philanthropy, and dumb luck, Anthony and his workers were able to keep the few animals left fed, watered, and medicated. I loved how the military men adopted Anthony, even though he was South African and not American, simply because he was there to help animals. This book is NOT political, which is one reason I like it. Anthony never down talks the war. He simply discusses the animals' plight and what he and the Iraqis did to help them. I appreciate the physical descriptions of the palaces and the zoo in Baghdad. I feel like I know the city better, and even though the actions in this book took place in 2003, I imagine a lot of things haven't changed. I can picture the crowded bazaars, the horrible Luna Park zoo, and the soldiers feeding their MREs to the starving animals. Once word got around the city that the zoo people were back, Anthony had to lead several rescue missions to retrieve animals who were dying. Some of Hussein's Arabian horses were found, Uday's personal zoo was liberated, and miscellaneous animals were bought on the black market and returned to the zoo. Anthony received the Earth Day Medal and Capt. Larry Burris gave him the Third Infantry Division's regimental medal for bravery. He deserved it. I'm in awe that one man can make so much difference in the lives of so many animals. Hopefully, someday, I'll be able to see the Baghdad Zoo. I'd be honored to.