Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot (review)

Once common in New Zealand, the kakapo, a large flightless green bird, suffered from humans and human-introduced species to the point that it was once believed extinct, and the species still numbers under 100 individuals. The National Kakapo Recovery Team, a dedicated group of volunteers and professionals, now monitors every bird, supports every egg, and nurtures every chick in the hope of preserving this unusual species. Montgomery and Bishop, off on one of their usual exotic adventures, join the team on remote Codfish Island, where they follow Lisa, a kakapo mother, and her newborn chick. It's a dramatic story of preservation attempts at the very brink of extinction, and the tension, excitement, and fragility of the situation is made crystal clear, with the team rejoicing at every gain and mourning setbacks (including the sudden and unexpected death of Lisa's chick). The devotion of the team is palpable, and the point is made but not belabored that a number of these dedicated individuals came from other walks of life to work for this particular cause; it's also humblingly clear that they are to some extent feeling their way. While photographer Bishop could probably make a teenager's room look like an alluring ecosystem, Codfish Island is stunningly attractive in these images, with the kakapo themselves an enchanting luminous green that blends, with ludicrous beauty, into the verdant ferns and mosses of the forest floor. The glamour shots are balanced by documentary images of the travel necessities and the team's home base, which together give an impressively complete picture of the enterprise and its subject. More than most books about environmentalism or endangered species, this will encourage kids to consider how hands-on action can genuinely make a difference and how scientific contributions can be made by people who never go near a test tube. A quick postscript, information about donating to kakapo preservation, and a bibliography are appended, as is an index.