“Mijbil the Otter” by Gavin Maxwell is a beautiful story that describes the relationship between the writer and the Mijbil. The story craftily showcases the way the author’s life was altered after he decided to keep an otter. The author has taken the readers on a journey and experience of his interaction and connection with Mijbil, the otter.
The primary incidents of the story took place during the journey from Iraq to London via flight. The author outlined that Mijbil created a scene in the plane and ‘almost scared everyone with his mischievous actions. Despite the issues with Mijbil in the plane, a generous air hostess allowed the author to keep Mijbil with him and helped him further to travel with the otter. Upon his return in London, the author realized that people were clueless about the species of the otter and they kept guessing which kind of animal it can be.
In the New Year of 1956, the author travelled to Southern Iraq and suddenly he thought of adapting an otter instead of a dog. As soon as the idea crossed the author’s mind, he thought that Camusfearna could be the best place for performing the experiment of keeping an otter. The place was ringed by water bodies and it was only at a stone’s throw distance from the author’s doorstep. Therefore, he decided that this place could be an eminently suitable spot for adapting an otter.
After the author casually mentioned that he wanted to adopt an otter to his friend, his friend suggested that he should better get one in the Tigris marshes. Immediately after considering his friend’s suggestion, the author went to Basra to collect answer mails from the Consulate-General regarding the author’s decision of petting an otter.
At the initial stage, the author waited for about three days but nothing happened there. On the first day, line phone line was out of order On the second day, the exchange was closed due to religious holiday. On the third day, there was another breakdown which caused the delay in the first place.
After Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom one day, Mijbil went wild with joy as soon as he saw the water. For about half an hour he plunged and rolled in the water and shot up and down in the bathtub, considering the length of the bathtub. After two days, the author found out that Mijbil escaped from the bedroom and headed straight towards the bathroom. Upon following him to the bathroom, the author discovered that he was fumbling at the chromium taps with his paws for turning up the water. After some time, he succeeded in producing a trickle of water from the tap and eventually he achieved a full flow of water in the bathtub.
The author first dreaded the prospect of transporting Mij to England, decided to book a flight to Paris, and then from Paris to London as the British Airlines would not have carried Mijbil in their aeroplane. The author was instructed to carry Mij by packing it in an eighteen inches square. Later when the author checked, he suddenly found the box very silent and when he opened it, he found Mij, blood-spattered and exhausted within the box. He also discovered that Mij had torn the lining of the box to shreds and for the rest of their journey, the author had to hold down the lid with his hand all along.
The author had to put the otter in the box according to the instructions from the airlines he was travelling with. Therefore, he put Mij in an eighteen inches’ square box and he felt that this can help Mij to become accustomed to the box. After that, he left for a hurried meal as he had to catch a flight to Paris and then London for returning to London.
After the author opened the box in the plane, according to the suggestion of the air hostess, Mij immediately escaped the box in a flash. Suddenly, he disappeared down the aircraft and started squawking and shrieking within the plane. Soon there was chaos within the plane as everyone thought it was a rat.
Londoners were almost incapable of recognising an otter and they started assuming the species of Mij when they saw him with the author in the streets of London. Some guessed that it was a baby seal and some thought it was a squirrel. Some also questioned if Mij was a walrus or not. The author had to face a constant barrage of conjectural questions where people guessed Mij to be almost every Mustellines but an otter.
Mij did a series of things that outlines his intelligence and friendly nature along with his fun-loving qualities. Once he opened the tap in the bathtub all by himself to pour water in it and play. This showed the level of intelligence in Mij as he was adaptive to the common systems. Another time he invented a game of his own with a selection of toys. It kept him engrossed for almost half an hour at a time.
Gavin Maxwell was the first ever person to call Mijbil an otter even before it was introduced to science. Based on the length christened by the zoologists the race was further called Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli or Maxwell’s otter. Therefore, depending on the contribution of Maxwell in recognising an otter, it was later known as Maxwell’s otter to the world.
Q1. Who according to the author’s friend tamed otters in Tigris marshes?
Ans. According to his friend, in Tigris marshes, otters were very common. He also added that they were tamed by the Arabs in that region.
Q2. What made the author realise Mijbil’s characteristics in the first place?
Ans. Mijbil made a splash and slosh for a hippo when he was taken to the bathroom by the author. It enabled him to learn that otters are very much connected to the water bodies and this was one of Mijbil’s characteristics too.
Q3. Did the author receive its mail after waiting for three days in Basra?
Ans. After waiting for three days in a row, the author further waited for another five days at the place. Finally, he received his mail arrived after waiting for five days there but his friend returned to England at that time.
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