The Drunken Forest

The Argentine pampas and the little-known Chaco territory of Paraguay provide the setting for The Drunken Forest. With Gerald Durrell for interpreter, an orange armadillo or a horned toad, or a crab-eating raccoon suddenly discovers the ability not merely to set you laughing but also to endear itself to you.

Gerald Durrell’s adventurous spirit and his spontaneous gift for narrative and...