- “A zoo garden or park is a connecting link between man and wildlife.”
– Reuben David in the article Importance of zoo
- “When a man kills an animal it is called bravery but when an animal kills a man it is called man-eater.”
– Reuben David
- “Some birds like Roller Canaries respond to music. I discovered this, when I would play an Indian classical tune on my stringed musical instrument – the Dilruba, and my pet Canaries would start whistling in tune along with my music.”
– Reuben David
- “David, our country is proud of you.”
– Smt. Indira Gandhi (the then Prime Minister)as she walked up to Reuben in March 1975 – the day he was awarded the Padmashree at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
- “I feel honoured to have known Mr. Reuben David, the doyen of Indian zoo directors and one of the most remarkable human beings I have ever met. He is like an endangered species on earth!”
– Colin Groves (Australian anthropologist, who discovered a prehistoric animal 1981, was inspired by Reuben David and named it after him – sus scrofa davidi)
- “When Steve Irwin, the famous crocodile hunter was killed by a sting Ray in September, last year, I had concluded that only Australia produced daredevils who could capture dangerous animals like crocodiles, alligators and venomous snakes with their bare hands. I was wrong.
Many Indians have being doing so down the generations and do so to this day. Among the most famous was Reuben David of Ahmedabad. He not only captured crocodiles and snakes but also tigers, lions, langoors, bears and a variety of birds in his home and the zoo he set up. He formulated his own herbal medicines to keep his friends in good shape. His life story has been written by his daughter Esther David. Her line drawings illustrate how close he was to birds and beasts :he had been living with them. He sat by a female crocodile while she was laying her eggs and helped her to incubate them. It is a true life story of how harmonious human-animal relationships can be, any person who gives his love to an animal or bird will have it returned in full measure. The book is specially meant for teenagers but makes an equally fascinating read for grown-ups.”
– Khushwant Singh (well known littérateur)