The Aye-Aye and I

March 1, 1993
Age cannot wither nor custom stale the boundless enthusiasm of Durrell ( The Ark's Anniversary ) in his efforts to rescue endangered species. Here he is in Madagascar--with his wife, Lee, and a BBC crew--to film and to capture for breeding the rare aye-aye, a nocturnal lemur of Africa's east coast rain forests. As his party travels through the countryside over impossible roads and rickety bridges, Durrell gives marvelous descriptions of inns and markets. Once settled in camp, he is able to find an aye-aye captive at the Biosphere Reserve, but the wild ones remain elusive. After the film crew departs, Durrell and his scouts come upon six aye-ayes for his Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust, plus a mate for the captive aye-aye. Adventure, humor and a serious scientific mission add up to first-rate entertainment. Photos.