Peter Gurney

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Peter Gurney (March 9, 1938 - July 2, 2006[1]) was a campaigner for the rights and welfare of guinea pigs. He was associated with the Cambridge Cavy Trust, founded by Vedra Stanley-Spatcher.[2]

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".

Contents

[edit] Biography

Born in Luton in 1938, 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. Bond's guinea pig Olga (after which Bond had named his Olga da Polga books) had been off-colour, and Gurney ministered to it successfully.

In 2006 Gurney was told that his battle with cancer was unwinnable, and died in July 2006. He worked with guinea pigs and their owners until he died.

[edit] Strongly held views

Gurney's views on areas such as the Monarchy, the RSPCA, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the BBC, Sainsbury's, celebrity chefs and more were viewed in some circles as controversial.[citation needed]

[edit] Books

Gurney was the author of several books on guinea pig health, care and welfare. He toured the USA to promote The Sex Life of Guinea Pigs.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Gurney's death is variously reported as 1st or 2nd July depending upon the source.
  2. ^ Peter Gurney - Obituary. The Telegraph (2006-07-08). Retrieved on September 5, 2006.

[edit] External links

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