Mijbil the Otter

Following the death of his beloved dog Jonnie, Gavin Maxwell felt an unbearable loneliness at his coastal cottage in Camusfearna, Western Scotland, which was surrounded by water a stone's throw from the door.

1.1 The Decision to Keep an Otter:

Maxwell decided that Camusfearna was an ideal habitat for an otter rather than a dog. In early 1956, while traveling in Southern Iraq to the marshes of the river Tigris, he mentioned this whim to a friend. A few days later, while waiting at the consulate in Basra for his delayed mail, two Arab marshmen arrived with a sack containing an otter sent by his friend.

1.2 Maxwell's Otter (*Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli*):

The creature resembled a very small, medieval dragon, coated in mud from head to tail. It took a month of continuous brushing to remove the mud and reveal his true chocolate-brown velvet coat. The species was previously unclassified by science, and zoologists formally named it Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli, colloquially known as Maxwell's otter.

Maxwell soon discovered the defining obsession of the otter species: an uncontrollable, ecstatic mania for water.

2.1 The Philosophy of Water:

"A single drop of water must, so to speak, be spilt and extended; a bowl of water must at once be overturned, or, if will not overturn, be sat in and spluttered in until it overflows. Water must be kept on the move and made to do things; when static it is wasted and provoking."

2.2 Turning the Bathroom Tap:

Within two days, Mij escaped to the bathroom. Maxwell watched in astonishment as the otter stood on his hind legs on the edge of the tub, fumbled at the chrome tap with his paws, and turned it until water began to dribble, then burst into a full flow! If he turned it the wrong way, he chattered with irritation.

2.3 Invented Games:

Mij spent hours juggling small objects on his back, rolling marbles and rubber balls between his paws without dropping them. He invented an elaborate game with a battered suitcase and a ping-pong ball: placing the ball on the high end of the sloped lid, he would dash to the other end to ambush it as it rolled down.

The journey from Basra to London proved to be an ordeal of harrowing stress and logistical nightmares.

3.1 The Bloodied Crate:

British airlines refused to carry animals, forcing Maxwell to book a flight to Paris on another airline. The airline insisted that Mijbil be packed inside a box no more than eighteen inches square. Maxwell put Mij in the box an hour before departure so he would grow accustomed to it.

3.2 The Kind Air Hostess:

Onboard, Maxwell explained the situation to the stewardess, whom he called 'the very queen of her kind'. She graciously suggested that Maxwell could take the pet out of the box and keep him on his lap.

The moment the box was opened, disaster struck in the pressurized cabin.

4.1 The Disappearing Otter:

Mijbil shot out of the box like a streak of lightning and vanished down the aisle. Pandemonium broke out:

• There were shrill squawks and shrieks from passengers.
• A woman stood up in her seat screaming hysterically: 'A rat! A rat!'
• Maxwell dived for Mijbil, missed, and planted his face flat into a plate of curry belonging to an Indian passenger!

4.2 The Rescue:

The calm air hostess smiled, told Maxwell to return to his seat, and promised to find the pet. Moments later, Maxwell heard a gentle chitter of recognition at his feet—Mijbil had returned on his own, climbed onto his knees, and began rubbing his nose against Maxwell's neck and face.

In London, Maxwell lived in a flat with Mijbil for nearly a month, where Mij established bizarre daily outdoor habits.

5.1 Compulsive Walking Rituals:

Just as school children feel compelled to place their feet on the center of every paving stone or touch every railing, Mijbil developed an obsessive habit: whenever they walked past an elementary school with a low wall, Mij would tug Maxwell towards it, jump onto the two-foot-high wall, and gallop the entire thirty-yard length, thoroughly distracting the pupils and teachers inside.

5.2 The Londoners' Wild Guesses:

Londoners, completely unfamiliar with otters, made the most wildly inaccurate guesses about Mij's identity: