Gavin Maxwell was a Scottish naturalist and author, best known for his work with otters. He wrote the book Ring of Bright Water (1960) about how he brought an otter back from Iraq and raised it in Scotland. Ring of Bright Water sold more than a million copies and was made into a movie starring Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna in 1969. The title 'Ring of Bright Water' was taken from a poem by Kathleen Raine (1908-2003) who said in her autobiography that Maxwell had been the love of her life.