Peter Gurney
Encyclopedia
Peter Gurney was an author
and campaigner for the rights
and welfare
of guinea pig
s. He was associated with the Cambridge Cavy Trust, founded by Vedra Stanley-Spatcher.
Starting in 1990, Gurney was a regular hospital visitor to Great Ormond Street Hospital
with five of his guinea pigs. The children called him "The Guinea Pig Man".
, Gurney attended Beech Hill Secondary Modern School. He performed his National Service
in the Royal Navy
, and drove buses and lorries for a living upon his discharge. At the age of 48 he bought his first guinea pig.
Early retirement after a serious accident which left Gurney unable to drive allowed him to devote his attention to guinea pig medicine. Veterinary training did not concentrate on small pets, and Gurney found this sufficient spur to confront and complain about the self regulation of the veterinary profession and highlight its lack of knowledge in the area.
In 1992 Gurney wrote his first book, The Proper Care of Guinea Pigs, during recovery from kidney cancer
. During this period, Michael Bond
, best known for his Paddington Bear
books, met Gurney and encouraged him in his work and writing.
When Great Ormond St Hospital told him that guinea pigs were no longer welcome for health and safety reasons, Gurney complained
"[T]hat bunch of control freaks in government took this away from me."
In 2006 he was advised that his cancer had returned and was incurable. He made arrangements to find new homes for his guinea pigs, 40 of whom survived him, before his death at age 68. His final book, Last of Their Kind, was released posthumously in April 2007.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and campaigner for the rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
and welfare
Animal welfare
Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...
of guinea pig
Guinea pig
The guinea pig , also called the cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family, nor are they from Guinea...
s. He was associated with the Cambridge Cavy Trust, founded by Vedra Stanley-Spatcher.
Starting in 1990, Gurney was a regular hospital visitor to Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children is a children's hospital located in London, United Kingdom...
with five of his guinea pigs. The children called him "The Guinea Pig Man".
Biography
Born in LutonLuton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, Gurney attended Beech Hill Secondary Modern School. He performed his National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, and drove buses and lorries for a living upon his discharge. At the age of 48 he bought his first guinea pig.
Early retirement after a serious accident which left Gurney unable to drive allowed him to devote his attention to guinea pig medicine. Veterinary training did not concentrate on small pets, and Gurney found this sufficient spur to confront and complain about the self regulation of the veterinary profession and highlight its lack of knowledge in the area.
In 1992 Gurney wrote his first book, The Proper Care of Guinea Pigs, during recovery from kidney cancer
Kidney cancer
Kidney cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the cells in the kidney.The two most common types of kidney cancer are renal cell carcinoma and urothelial cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis...
. During this period, Michael Bond
Michael Bond
Thomas Michael Bond, OBE is an English author, most celebrated for his Paddington Bear series of books.-Life:Bond was educated at Presentation College, a Catholic school in Reading...
, best known for his Paddington Bear
Paddington Bear
Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children's literature. He appeared on 13 October 1958 and was subsequently featured in several books, most recently in 2008, written by Michael Bond and first illustrated by Peggy Fortnum....
books, met Gurney and encouraged him in his work and writing.
Cancer
In 1992 he was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and, during his initial recovery, wrote his first book, The Proper Care of Guinea Pigs, taking all the photographs himself. Gurney wrote a number of other books, including The Sex Life of the Guinea Pig, which he promoted on a tour of the United States.When Great Ormond St Hospital told him that guinea pigs were no longer welcome for health and safety reasons, Gurney complained
"[T]hat bunch of control freaks in government took this away from me."
In 2006 he was advised that his cancer had returned and was incurable. He made arrangements to find new homes for his guinea pigs, 40 of whom survived him, before his death at age 68. His final book, Last of Their Kind, was released posthumously in April 2007.
Books
Gurney wrote several books on the health, care and welfare of guinea pigs. He toured the USA to promote The Sex Life of Guinea Pigs.External links
- Peter Gurney's official website, created by Gurney and dedicated to his memory
- Peter Gurney's Health pages, hosted by the Winking Cavy Store
- Cambridge Cavy Trust to create a memorial to Peter Gurney
- Pets as Therapy