Gavin Maxwell was a Scottish naturalist best known for his book Ring of Bright Water about raising an otter in Scotland. In 1956 while in Iraq, Maxwell was gifted an otter named Mijbil by a friend. He bonded with Mijbil, who enjoyed playing with water and toys. Transporting Mijbil back to London by plane was difficult, but they eventually arrived home. In London, Mijbil enjoyed walks and running along a nearby school wall, amusing onlookers who had never seen an otter.

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2. Mijbil the Otter
By Gavin Maxwell
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3. Mijbil the Otter
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gavin Maxwell
(15 July 1914 – 7 September 1969)
was a Scottish naturalist and author,
best known for his work with otters.
He wrote the book
Ring of Bright Water (1960) about
how he brought an otter back from
Iraq and raised it in Scotland.
Ring of Bright Water sold more than a
million copies and was made into
a film starring Bill Travers and
Virginia McKenna in 1969. The
title Ring of Bright Water was taken
from a poem by Kathleen Raine, who
said in her autobiography that
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4. Mijbil the Otter
In the beginning of 1956,
the author was in Iraq.
One day on the way to
Basra, he casually
mentioned to a friend that
he would love to have an
otter instead of a dog as a
pet.
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5. Mijbil the Otter
A few days later, the
author got an otter
from his friend. Two
Arabs brought it for
him in a sack.
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6. Mijbil the Otter
The author stayed in
Basra for a few days.
Very soon the otter
became very friendly
with the author. It
loved to play with
water all the time. It
played with a rubber
ball also.
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7. Mijbil the Otter
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8. Mijbil the Otter
The author named his otter Mijbil. He made
for it a body-belt. He would take it on a lead
to the bathroom. There the otter would go
mad playing with water. It could even turn the
tap and make the water flow at full pressure.
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9. Mijbil the Otter
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10. Mijbil the Otter
After some days, the author was to come back to
London. The transporting of Mijbil became a
problem. British airline did not permit animals on
its flights. Another airline agreed to take the
animal if packed in a box
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11. Mijbil the Otter
The author made a small
box for the otter. He
had to face a lot of
difficulty and it made
him late for the plane.
While in the plane, the
otter escaped from the
box. There was a lot of
hue and cry. At last, the
otter came back and
settled on the author’s
knees.
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12. Mijbil the Otter
After an eventful journey,
the author and his otter at
last reached London
where he lived in a flat.
The otter spent most of its
time playing with its toys.
Sometimes the author
took it out for a walk. He
would take it on a lead as
if it were a dog.
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13. Mijbil the Otter
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14. Mijbil the Otter
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15. Mijbil the Otter
Opposite to the
author’s flat, there
was a primary school
that had a low outer
wall about thirty yards
long. The otter would
jump on to it and go
running all the length
of the wall.
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16. Mijbil the Otter
Different people made different guesses as to
what animal it was. They would say it was a
baby seal, squirrel, a walrus, a hippo, a beaver, a
bear cub or even a leopard with spots.
Very few Londoners had ever seen an otter. They
were filled with surprise on seeing such a strange
animal.
·One day a labourer was digging a hole in the
street. Looking at the author’s otter, he
exclaimed, “Here, Mister, what is that supposed
to be?”
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17. About Mijbil
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18. Baby Seal
BAC
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19. Squirrel
BACK
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20. Walrus
BACK
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21. Hippo
BACK
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22. Beaver
BACK
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23. Bear Cub
BACK
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24. Leopard
BACK
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25. Lets enjoy Mijbil’s activities
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26. HOME ASSIGNMENT
Mijbil, the Otter is your pet. You have been asked to
introduce Mijbil to a group of visitors in your school.
Based on your reading of the text, complete the profile
of Mijbil like appearance, characteristic
features,behaviour, favourite game, toy, dislikes and
routine
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27. Thank you
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