Gavin Maxwell (July 15, 1914 - September 6, 1969) was a British naturalist and author, best known for his work with otters. Wrote the book Ring of Bright Water about his adventures returning an otter from a pet store to the wild in Scotland. The tale was made into a movie in 1969.

Maxwell was raised in the tiny village of Elrig , near Port William, in Wigtownshire, near the south west corner of Scotland. Relations of Maxwell still reside in the Port William area; owning the family's ancient estate and grounds in nearby Monreith .

He toured the marshes of Southern Iraq in 1956 with Wilfred Thesiger; an account of their trip appears in A Reed Shaken By The Wind, later published under the title People of the Reeds.

A stone otter was erected in the grounds of Port William Golf Course as a memorial to Maxwell.

Biography

Gavin Maxwell, A Life (1993; Harper Collins) by Douglas Botting .

The White Island (1972; Longman) by John Lister-Kaye is about the author's time working with Maxwell.