Rest in Peace, Orlando Garrido
06/25/2024
While I was researching The Real James Bond, one of my best days was when I interviewed the great Cuban ornithologist Orlando Garrido in Havana.
Orlando and Bond had a mutual admiration society, and Bond tried to promote Orlando’s career back in the 1950s. Bond was a curator at The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, and they corresponded often.
I also visited Orlando twice as part of a Caribbean Conservation Trust tour, and loved to sit in his office and hear Orlando talk about Cuba’s endemic birds—complete with taxidermied specimens. Orlando had an encyclopedic mind and was always willing to share his knowledge. His ornithological idols, he tole me, were Juan Gundlach and Jim Bond.
I am including two photos from when I researched the book, including one from one of my visits (above), and one of Orlando and Jim Bond (below)
Orlando was also a world-class tennis player as a young man, and I just have to share this anecdote from "The Race to Save the Lord God Bird,” a terrific book by Phillip Hoose:
"Dr. Orlando Garrido, the Cuban biologist who saw the Ivory-bill in 1968, was at one time a world-class tennis player. But even in a big match, biology was never far from his mind.
"In 1959, while representing Cuba in the Davis Cup tennis competition, Garrido was about to serve the ball to his Australian opponent when he noticed a huge beetle crawling slowly across the court in front of him.
"It was a magnificent specimen. Raising his hand, Garrido signaled the referee to stop play, and as the crowd watched in amazement, he walked to the sidelines, found an empty tennis ball can, went back to the court, and carefully scooped up the insect and placed it inside.
"Only when the lid was tightly secured did he walk back to resume play.”
I’ve also included an article about Orlando and his tennis career. RIP, Orlando.