Zoo tails - Oliver Graham Jones

Oliver Graham-Jones recalls his time as the chief vet at London Zoo, and some of the extraordinary animals he met along the way

One puff adder, one antelope, one crocodile-this was the list of sick animals presented to Oliver Graham-Jones on his first day as a new vet at London Zoo in 1951. And his time at the zoo didn't get any less strange or entertaining. There's the time he anesthetized, and was then chased by, a gorilla; had to capture an angry polar bear in thick fog; performed a colostomy on a python; and fitted a raven in the Tower of London with a wooden leg. And if an animal escaped (more frequently than you might think) or required urgent medical attention, he was always on hand, ready for any eventuality. With his self-deprecating humor, Oliver frequently described himself as quaking with fear, but he was also skillful, brave, and, most of all, incredibly caring and kind to his animal patients.