To see the animals at the zoo on Sunday afternoon is one thing. To know them intimately, offstage, is quite another. In this book, which has delighted readers for two generations. Dr. Ditmars, who was curator of mammals and reptiles at New York's Bronx Zoo, gives an extraordinary account of his lively encounters with hundreds of animals. "For over a quarter of a century," writes Dr. Ditmars, "it has been my task to capture, transport, feed, nurse, soothe, fight, guard and cajole various specimens of the animal kingdom. I have been on intimate terms with snakes, bears, apes, monkeys, elephants, jaguars, tigers, buffaloes, giraffes, deer, kudus, hippos, wild horses, kiangs, rhinos, lions, cougars, leopards, kangaroos, beasts of almost every sort." While many of his adventures seem too fantastic to be true, they really did happen."Rich in lore that will be fascinating to readers interested in natural history...Dr. Ditmar's sense of humor augments, in no small degree, the engaging qualities of his book."-New York Herald Tribune Books"Genuinely vivid and exciting adventures?"-N.Y. Times Book Review