Last Chance to See (1990)

It's hard to read Adams and not bitterly mourn that his unique, erudite and hilariously goofy voice was stilled so soon. This book finds Adams tromping through the unlikeliest territory in search of animals about to go extinct. Howlingly funny at the same time it's deadly serious, this one's a gem. ( )

Last Chance to See chronicles Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine's trips to far flung places to see, and call attention to, endangered and borderline extinct animal species.

I listened to the audio, read by Douglas himself (except for the very end which is read by Mark Carwardine), and it was brilliant. Not only does Douglas really bring each destination and trip to life, but he does so in a way that allows the reader to understand his feelings regarding these things, but without sounding judgmental or like a finger-wagging nag.

And on top of that, his sense of humor and brilliant mind are like sunshine on a mostly cloudy day. It's all seriousseriousserious... then WHAM! Unexpected funny. What I wouldn't have given to be tagging along for this trip! DA, exotic locations, trying to help endangered animals, and my goodness, if the experts that they talked to were all half as funny and awesome as DA portrayed them, I'd have needed some adult diapers so that when I pissed myself laughing nobody would know and I could keep on trekkin'. As it was, just listening to him imitate them, I kept giggling uncontrollably. Just imagine that with facial expressions. Oh man.

But this is really a serious book. It's a bit dated now, from the late 80s or so, but the issues it contains are just as prevalent now as they were then, if not more so. Some of the plights he described, particularly that of the Yangtze River Dolphin, the Baiji. Evolutionarily blind because of the muddy river water, they existed for thousands of years by echolocation, and then when China started to develop industrially and started to use the river with powered boats etc, the dolphins could no longer hear, became confused and would be hit by boats or propellers, or get caught in fishing nets and die either way. And that's not to mention the pollution and poisons in the water from industrial waste, or the fact that people still eat them. Or did, before they were declared "functionally extinct" in 2006. *sigh* Just the way that DA described these poor dolphins broke my heart - blind, confused, hungry due to lack of food due to human fishermen, in constant fear and pain from the pollution and noise pollution in the water, and with nowhere to go... it makes me really hate humanity sometimes. But, in the Chinese people's defense, it seems that they truly didn't know that there were dolphins in the river until almost too late, and then they scrambled to help... But too late won. :(

I definitely recommend this book. It's an important and brilliant one. And it's Douglas Adams. That should be enough. ( )

This is a non-fiction book written by Douglas Adams who went around the globe along with zoologist Mark Carwardine in search of various species of animals and birds which were on a verge of extinction in 1985 (when this book was written). This piqued my interest on the thought that if these species were considered endangered in 1985, what is their current status as of 2012? Well I did some research on it (I mean I Googled it. But not in an amateurish way, I tried hard enough until I got bored, i.e. after 15 minutes!)

Well, we will soon see the current status of those species, but first some food for thought.
I cannot understand why normal citizens consider the extinction of various species a natural phenomenon! Just say these words in front of a well educated crowd and you almost know what answer you are going to get. Global warming? Pah. Government conspiracy. Extinction of various species? It is not a new thing. It’s just a cycle. But what if someone told you that the rate of extinction has increased exponentially in the last 50 years or so? And just because Al Gore supports the campaign against global warming doesn’t make it a conspiracy.

But whatever we say, ignorant person is going to stay ignorant, isn’t it true? So, without any further ado, let’s just look at the comparison of the species population which Adams saw in 1985 compared to the current year 2012.

Aye Aye(Madagascar) - unknown pop. (1985) – Fortunately they are more widespread than previously thought (2012)

Northern White Rhino (Zaire- Africa) – 22 nos. (1985) – Extinct (2012) (Only 7 remain in captivity)

Mountain Gorrillas (Zaire- Africa) – 280 nos. (1985) – 790 nos. (2012) (But endangered due to activities like deforestation and poaching)

Kakapo (New Zealand)– 40 nos. (1985) – 126 nos. (2012)

Yangtze River Dolphin aka Baiji (China) – 200 nos. (1985) – Extinct (2012)

The Komodo dragon (Indonesia)– 5000 nos. (350 females) (1985) – 4000-5000 nos. (2012)

Finless porpoise (Yangtze River, China)– 400 nos. (1985) – less than 400 nos. (2012)

The Rodrigues fruitbat (Mauritius) – 100 nos. (1985) – 3000 nos. and rising (2012)

Mauritius kestrel (Mauritius) - 100 nos. (1985) – 3000 nos. and rising (2012)

Echo Parakeet (Mauritius) – 15 nos. (1985) – 130 nos. (2012)

Pink pigeons (Mauritius) – 200 nos. (1985) – 350 nos. (2012)

The above description shows that not all of the species made it. And those who are faring better comparatively are still considered endangered if not critically endangered. And these are among the lucky few who were saved because of the much required publicity received from various sources including, I think, this book by Douglas Adams.

Apart from these species, Adams also saw some of the rarest species of flora. Let us read about them in his own words:

I knew that the palm tree was called Beverly because Wendy told me that was what she had christened it. It was a bottle palm, so called because it is shaped like a Chianti bottle, and it was one of the eight that remain on Round Island, the only eight wild ones in the world.

Or that the Hyophorbe amarfcaulis (a palm tree so rare that it doesn't have any name other than its scientific one) standing in the Curepipe Botanic Gardens in Mauritius is the only one of its kind in existence? (The tree was only discovered by chance while the ground on which it stands was being cleared in order to construct the Botanic Gardens. It was about to be cut down.)

But a skeptic would still ask that why it is only and only our (humanity’s) fault that earth’s ecology is crumbling? Let me leave this review with the perfect quote from this book itself to mull over if that question might arise in someone’s mind:

The great thing about being the only species that makes a distinction between right and wrong is that we can make up the rules for ourselves as we go along.
( )

Although I own a copy of Hitchhiker's Guide I *gasp* have yet to read it. Fear not! After getting a taste of Adams' wit, it just move up the list of "must reads" significantly.

Although written nearly a quarter of a century ago, Last Chance to See is still well-worth the read for a number of reasons. Chief among those is of course just the fact that Adams was a really entertaining writer. Beyond that however, it's interesting to read about the species that were endangered at that time and then immediately be able to see how they made out. In some cases, there's significant good news with conservation and recovery efforts. In others sadly, it seems likely the animal will no longer be found in this world.

If you enjoy learning about nature and a good laugh at the same time, this is well-worth the read.

It may not be the book for a child however. Although the descriptions are fairly accessible, there's some salty language here and there. ( )

My favorite Douglas Adams book! He exhibits a subtle sense of humour much more reserved than the outright silliness of his fiction series, and describes his travels so eloquently that I felt as if I were experiencing them with him. While the message is that humankind needs to get our act together and preserve our natural wonders (geographic and animal), Adams manages to leave you with a sense of hope, rather than depression. I can't wait to read this to Riven! The colour photos are also a nice touch. ( )