Last Chance to See

I don't know if I would have made it through reading a book like this if it weren't written by Douglas Adams. The loss of his wit and wordplay was a huge one for this world. This book, written 30 years ago, details mayhem-filled journeys to track down some of the then rarest species in the world. What's heart-breaking is to look up the species today and see which ones are still around. Some are better (Good on you, New Zealand) and some are gone entirely (Get your shit together, China!). The success stories are minimal and the book stresses exactly how many species we just don't know are going extinct all the time because we are blundering through fragile economies and setting predatory rats loose everywhere. Adams, journeying around as a 6'5” Englishman through 1980s travel mayhem, provides a great travel journal that balances out the serious issues we humans really need to deal with because it's already too late for so many. I'm curious to read his zoologist co-writer's update to this book as well. The tone is hopeful, but that hope is founded in work.