Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams & Mark Carwardine
The Northern White Rhino has been on my radar ever since I’ve read about their possible extinction in a 2014 article from the Guardian. Never once did I imagine that I would read about a species going extinct in my lifetime, maybe endangered or vulnerable, but not extinct. And after some research, I realize there are many species that have become extinct in the last 5, 10, 30, 50 years, merely that we don’t hear about it because (a) we don’t know it exists; (b) we don’t care about bugs and fish as much as cute cuddly animals; or (c) there’s not enough space in the news for topics that people don’t really care about.
And I think that last point is especially true in this “information overload” age in which we see news reports from around the world at the click of our fingertips. Imagine that 100 years ago, people don’t know what’s happening halfway around the world unless it’s something serious, and even then they don’t find out until days, maybe even weeks later, when news travels across the ocean.
And so, when I heard about this book, Last Chance to See, I was very interested in reading it. First, it’s written by Adams, author of Hitchhiker’s Guide, and to be honest, I have never read any of Adams’s books even though I know the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. Nonetheless, his name on the book is like a vote of confidence; it said to me, this book is going to be very funny, which is weird, because it’s about the last chance to see some critically endangered animals, and that’s a very depressing thought.
But somehow, Adams does make it amusing, by not harping on how possibly close to extinction these animals are, but by presenting his narrative as an adventure. He not only talks about the wonderful animals that he’s set out to see, but also about the bureaucratic nightmares he and Carwardine (the zoologist) face at every country. It shows that saving animals from extinction isn’t only about research and preservation, but rather a large portion of a zoologist’s work is devoted to advocacy, reaching out to governments, asking for donations, and educating locals. It doesn’t stop there; this book has prompted me to learn more about the animals mentioned, such as the Kakapo, the Wildlife on Mauritius, and the Baiji dolphin. So imagine my surprise when I found the Wildlife Preservation Canada in my Google search on the Mauritius Kestrel, or when I heard recently on the news about New Zealand’s plan to save their endemic birds by killing every rat. The battle is continuing, we haven’t given up after 20 plus years since the publication of Adams’s book. We may have lost some, like the Northern White Rhinos and the Baiji dolphins, but it’s not over yet.
I give this book a two-thumbs up and recommend it for anyone who enjoys Adams’s humorous writing style. What I like most about this book is that it doesn’t promote wildlife organizations, it doesn’t persuade you to become an activist, it simply presents the facts and the story behind these animals. It makes you curious about them. It makes you want to see them for yourself before time runs outs.
Interesting Research Tidbits
- IUCN Red List White Rhino – International Union for Conservation of Nature page for the two subspecies of White Rhinos
- The Hard Truth about the Rhino Horn “Aphrodisiac” Market – unexpected findings about rhino horn as an aphrodisiac
- Rhino Wars – brief history of rhino horn usage and illegal trade
- Traffic – the wildlife trade monitoring network, includes all news on illegal trade from countries around the world
- Mauritian Wildlife Foundation – includes information on wildlife endemic to Mauritius
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust – organization that saves unique wildlife and works in partnership with the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation
Two Fifty Review 