Zoo Quest for a Dragon

By (author) David Attenborough

Book cover: Zoo Quest for a Dragon

Extent: 180 pages

Publisher: Acorn Editions

Subjects: Earth & Life Sciences , Twentieth- & Twenty-First- Century History

Series: Zoo Quest

Language: English

Paperback (Forthcoming)

(July 2026)

ISBN: 9780906554258

5.43 x 8.5 inches

Price: $16.50

On back order

Hardback (Forthcoming)

(July 2026)

ISBN: 9780906554241

5 x 8.03 inches

Price: $37.50

On back order

PDF (Forthcoming)

(July 2026)

ISBN: 9780906554265

Price: $13.50

In Zoo Quest for a Dragon, a young David Attenborough embarks upon an exciting 3,000-mile voyage to Indonesia.


This is the full account of David Attenborough’s Zoo Quest expedition to the islands of Indonesia. “Our plan,” he writes, “was to travel widely throughout these islands, filming not only animals but also people and their everyday life. Our ultimate objective was to reach a small islet named Komodo, for we were going there to seek one of the most remarkable creatures alive today, the largest lizard in the world, the Komodo dragon.”

Zoo Quest for a Dragon describes an exciting 3,000-mile journey in Indonesia—to the enchanting island of Bali, where the author and his companion, Charles Lagus, were fascinated by the dancing, music and temples; to Java, where they climbed the sleep slopes of an active volcano and gazed down into the heaving cauldron; and to the interior of Borneo, where they stayed in the longhouses of the Dyak peoples, and observed and captured many animals, including Benjamin, the baby bear, and Charlie, a mischievous orang-utan. Finally, in a hazardous voyage by prau under the captaincy of a gun-smuggler, they reached Komodo, and discovered and filmed a fabulous dragon.

David Attenborough writes vividly about his travels, the people he met, and the animals he saw and captured. But above all it is an entertaining story, for as in his first book, Zoo Quest to Guyana, the author reveals his irrepressible sense of the ridiculous, his rich vein of humour, and his gift as a brilliant raconteur.

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Map

1 Java

2 The Forest

3 Turtle Eggs and a Snake

4 Bali

5 The Animals of Bali

6 Volcanoes and Pickpockets

7 Borneo

8 Dyaks and Orang-utan

9 Voyage

10 Komodo

11 The Dragons

12 Postscript

Sir David Attenborough (born 1926) is a broadcaster and naturalist whose television career spans seven decades. Now a household name, Sir David is widely regarded as a British national treasure, and arguably the most famous documentarian of the natural world. Moreover, Attenborough has championed the cause of conservation and has brought environmental issues to the fore of public life.

After studying Natural Sciences at Cambridge and a brief stint in publishing, he joined the BBC. Since the launch of his famous Zoo Quest series in 1954 he has surveyed almost every aspect of natural life on earth. His programme Planet Earth series is one of the most-watched nature documentaries of all time. He is the recipient of numerous honorary titles and awards, and received a knighthood for his services to broadcasting in 1985.

  • By (author) David Attenborough