Last Chance to See

Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine and is a rather slim volume, weighing in at just over 200 pages, that chronicles their adventures as the travel the world in search of endangered species.

For those who - like me - do not recognize the name Douglas Adams, he's the guy who wrote The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. That alone would be a reason for me NOT to read this book. I'm sorry, I TRIED to read that book but I just couldn't get into it. In fact, I hated it. Sorry, Hitchhiker fans.

But of course, I DID read Last Chance to See and it's all because of Nymeth's wonderful review. In it she explains that "This is a funny, passionate, informative and important book. It’s also very touching at times. It’s a book that makes you care." Add that to all the other great things she says about it and I just had to read it (and so, it counts toward the Irresistible Review Challenge - woohoo!).

So now, about the book. Adams, who has no experience with zoology, endangered species, etc., was asked by the BBC to travel the world to do radio broadcasts on several endangered species (keep in mind that this was in the 1980s). Reading his story was fantastic! Imagine a regular guy plopped in the middle of a jungle/savannah/forest and told to look for a creature that spends its life hiding. Add to the mix a dry sense of humor and a touch of sarcasm, and you've got Last Chance to See.

After finishing the book, I wanted to know what's going on with these animals today. So, like Nymeth, I did a bit of digging around, and here's what I came up with:


Aye-Aye - it's estimated that there are about 100 in the wild






Northern White Rhino - population was up to 30, but recent poaching brought that number down






Kakapo - the population is up to 62 now (update: thanks to one of my commentors, I can say the kakapo population is up to 91!)








Komodo Dragon - there are 3,000-5,000 now




Rodriguez Fruit Bat - still endangered, but there are now approx. 1,000 of them (if you recall from here, I just LOVE bats! they are so cool!)






Baiji River Dolphin - sad to say, it's believed to be "functionally extinct" ... although there may be a few left







Mountain Gorilla - there are about 700 left










Pink Pigeon - wild population = 21 ... captive population = 180







Echo Parakeet - now about 320 in the wild







Another Chance to See is a fabulous website that stemmed from this book. You can get updates on the animals above and also on a variety of other endangered species. I checked it today and there's an announcement about a new species of river dolphin just identified - wow.

I highly recommend this book, despite the fact that it is somewhat out of date (it was published in 1990). Using humor and personal experiences Adams brings you along on his journey and without preaching at you, makes you care about the animals and the people fighting to protect them.

If you've read/reviewed this book, please let me know so I can include your link in this post.