A Gorilla in the Guest Room

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A Gorilla in the Guest Room

Q.1 What do you think of the narrator's act of raising N' Pongo? What were the difficulties he faced while doing so?

Ans. The narrator's underlying motive for raising      N' Pongo was his unconditional love for animals and special concern for endangered species. Gorillas had always been on his priority list. 

coincidentally, he received a call from an animal dealer offering him a baby gorilla at twelve hundred pounds. He agreed to the deal and promised to collect it at London airport. His wife disapproved reflect his idea as he was already in huge debt. Durrell planned to call all the rich people of the island for saving rare species. His utmost efforts to raise funds reflect his keenness and concern for animals.

Durrell collected the gorilla from the London airport. It was about eighteen inches high, handsome and hale and hearty creature. His skin was soft and glossy. His eyes were small and deep-set, twinkling like chips of coal. Durrell offered him a banana and he accepted it with pleasure and ate it very daintily. The compatibility which they both shared in their first meeting reflects the narrator's concern for animals.

The narrator kept the gorilla in his own guestroom till his cage was ready. He was taken care of like a family member. He provided a perfect environment for his upbringing. He faced a financial problem when he had to arrange for a mate for him. Still, he felt the urge to take care of the needs of the N' Pongo and convinced the dealer to take the payment in installments. This way a mate, Nandy, was arranged for him.

Another problem arose when N' Pongo was afflicted with a strange discuss probably colitis, in which he gave up eating completely. At this time, he had arranged to spend three weeks in the South of France for making a film about life in Camargue. It was a fatal condition for N' Pongo and the author did every possible way to help him to recover. He brought various delicacies from the market to develop his interest in eating. N' Pongo liked watermelon and showed signs of interest in food. He even befooled him with a slice of watermelon to give him an injection.

Durrell was even reluctant to go to France as his main attention was riveted to the recovery of N' Pongo. Just a day before his departure N' Pongo showed signs of recovery and even resumed eating. Durrell was then only relaxed and proceeded for his trip. From there also kept monitoring his condition. N' Pongo was hale and hearty at his return.

Q. 2 What difficulties did the author encounter in procuring the baby gorilla for his zoo? How could he resolve them?

Q. 3 Do you think that zoos shouldn't showcase wild animals? The author says that they "must cease to be mere showplaces of animals and start to contribute something towards the conservation of wild life." Discuss.