Rescuing The Baghdad Zoo

In The Aftermath Of Invasion, A Wildlife Conservationist Worked To Save Animals Caught In War

(CBS)  The U.S. Army didn't have any formal plans for the zoo, so they improvised.

"Individual American soldiers [were] absolutely outstanding," Anthony remarked. "These chaps were fighting a war, they had plenty on their plates. And I mean, they would come back at the end of the day, put their rifles down, pick up a shovel, and get involved or do whatever was needed, say, 'How can I help'?"

And then there was Capt. William Sumner, who was assigned to the Iraqi National Museum, which had also been looted. One day he asked a superior officer if there was anything else he could do to help.

"He said, 'well, there's this little zoo, can you go take a look at it?'" Sumner said. "I thought it was like a petting zoo or something. I had no inkling and I had no background skills and I showed up and basically said I'm in charge of the place. By the way, I'm an archaeologist."

Very quickly, Capt. Sumner, Anthony and their team became the go-to guys for every stray or endangered animal in Baghdad. There were pelicans, hyenas, and porcupines, Saddam's stolen Arabian horses. They rescued dogs from cages, and lions, cheetahs and bears from Saddam's son Uday's palace.

Their work was both dangerous and at times surreal, like their adventure with a sick camel.

"We nicknamed him Lumpy," Sumner said. "And he had actually come close to dying. We jammed him into the back of our Humvee, strapped him down, and he drove with us to the zoo with his head poking between us all the way over, and he was enjoying himself."

Four months after Lawrence Anthony and Capt. Sumner took control, the Baghdad Zoo officially re-opened to the public. The first visitors were children from a local orphanage. The zoo is now completely in the hands of the Iraqis.

Overall victory remains elusive four years into the war in Iraq. Still, there have been many small, untold success stories, hints of hope. Saving the Baghdad Zoo, it seems, is one of them.

The new book "Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo," written by Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence, has been published by Thomas Dunne Books.

[barbwiseman]

I would like to commend Charles Osgood and the staff of CBS News Sunday Morning for running this segment about Lawrence Anthony. Mr. Anthony is a true, modern-day hero and courageous in the extreme. For anyone to willingly go into a war zone as a non-combatant, completely on their own initiative, with the purpose of protecting wildlife who had no way to protect themselves is an amazing act of courage, and it is an important story that should be told. What a great inspiration to our children to see what one person can do, against enormous odds, when they put their mind to it.

Barbara Wiseman
International President
The Earth Organization

[blind faifth]

I don't want to sound insensitive but where are the stories about rescuing the children of Bagdad?

[vbpwlp]

Thank you for the story on the Bagdad Zoo! I would like to see more coverage of animal welfare by people around the globe, but particularly in the US. Suggestions, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab UT, Pasado Safe Haven in WA state, a revisit to Kinky in TX, continuing efforts in New Orleans that the media has clearly dropped, efforts to bring the end to Puppy Mills - PA Governor doing great things as well as the state of MN. Help to educate the population to work as a whole towards responsibility for the animal kingdom.