38. 100 Years of Attenborough

Another Strook featuring something I’ve drawn, read, and listened to. Drawing Sperm Whale, Micron 005, A5 Vacation, beautiful weather, hardly any drawing. So here’s something from my archives: a sperm whale. Reading David Attenborough turns 100 next week. In 1954, Attenborough was just 28 years old when he was asked by the BBC to help with a series called Zoo Quest. For ten years, he traveled with staff from London Zoo to tropical countries to capture animals for the collection. A Komodo dragon in Indonesia, armadillos in Paraguay, birds of paradise in New Guinea. He often caught them himself; on screen, you see him running after giant anteaters and pythons like a sort of Steve Irwin. The first editions of Zoo Quest. Source: Sanchos Rare Books He wrote six Zoo Quest books about these adventures at the time. His descriptions are delightfully British. Deep in New Guinea, they are warned about an indigenous tribe that is said to eat people. When the tribe suddenly comes running toward them armed with spears and axes, Attenborough extends his hand and says, “Good afternoon.” To which they enthusiastically shake his hand. It’s also on film . The Zoo Quest series was republished a few years ago in *The Adventures of a Young Biologist* and *Journeys to the Other Side of the World*. “These days zoos don’t send out animal collectors on quests to bring ‘em back alive. And quite right too,” writes Attenborough in the foreword to the collection. According to him, the natural world already has a hard enough time without being robbed of its rarest species. Attenborough has been dedicated to this cause for decades now. Listening I listened to Friko a few weeks ago. Nice. Nothing special. Listened to it again, and then again. Now I think Friko’s “Seven Degrees” should be sung along to in every pub. See you next week! Get a weekly Strook with something I’ve drawn, read, and listened to: