Gavin Maxwell
Gavin Maxwell (July 15, 1914 - September 6, 1969) was a British naturalist and author, best known for his work with otters. Wrote the book Ring of Bright Water about his adventures returning an otter from a pet store to the wild in Scotland. The tale was made into a movie in 1969.
Maxwell was raised in the tiny village of Elrig, near Port William, in Wigtownshire, near the south west corner of Scotland. Relations of Maxwell still reside in the Port William area; owning the family's ancient estate and grounds in nearby Monreith.
He toured the marshes of Southern Iraq in 1954 with Wilfred Thessiger; an account of their trip appears in A Reed Shaken By The Wind.
A stone otter was erected in the grounds of Port William Golf Course as a memorial to Maxwell.
Biography
The White Island (1972; Longman) by John Lister-Kaye is about the author's time working with Maxwell.