Gerald Durrell would one day become a much-loved conservationist. In Beasts in My Belfry he takes his first step towards fulfilling his ambition in this charming account of his job as a student keeper at Whipsnade Park in 1945.

The eager young Durrell observes his co-workers and animal charges alike, including Albert, the ventriloquist lion, who amuses himself by jumping out at people. Whether getting dirty mucking out the buffalo enclosure or attempting to cajole a skittish gnu into a transportation crate, life in the zoo is certainly never boring.