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My favorite book by the late Douglas Adams is "Last Chance to See," a nonfiction project where he travelled around the world for a year looking for various enda

My favorite book by the late Douglas Adams is "Last Chance to See," a nonfiction project where he travelled around the world for a year looking for various endangered species. The chapter about a fat sort of parrot called the kakapo talks about the challenges of keeping rats out — boats are not even allowed to dock on the New Zealand island where the last remaining kakapo live. (I once emailed Adams asking when a paperback edition of this book would be made available; he replied three years later, saying that it was finally in print behind "the ugliest cover I've ever seen in my life." The contemporary cover is not quite so bad.) https://www.amazon.com/Last-Chance-See-Douglas-Adams/dp/0345371984 https://www.amazon.com/Last-Chance-See-Douglas-Adams/dp/0345...

Hallucinaut 9y ago
Kākāpō live on three islands these days, all having been made pest free. Though where they were rediscovered in the 60s is absolutely not pest-free, though is sparsely populated being at the extreme southern tip. As a kid I used to go to the zoo and I remember the exhibit showing the population dropping to 59 birds, and feeling a deep dread about potentially losing them. It gives me hope that we've managed to bring them back to over 120 birds, I just wish other cultures had the luxury to be able to invest so much into protecting them that NZ is able to.
- justinator 9y ago
  http://cultofthepartyparrot.com/ http://cultofthepartyparrot.com/
  - EdwardDiego 9y ago
    Oh Sirocco, you sexy head-raping parrot you, what have you inspired. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T1vfsHYiKY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T1vfsHYiKY
ItsMe000001 9y ago
I would like to add that, having read them all, I also believe that this is the funniest of all his books. I laughed way more often and much louder than at any point of THHGTTG. That reminds me that I have to reread the section where he describes German tourists in his group (I'm German)... Seriously, if you are thinking about giving a book as a gift to someone and can't think of which one to choose, this one is as safe as it gets.
simonebrunozzi 9y ago
You are going to LOVE this video then: https://www.ted.com/talks/douglas_adams_parrots_the_universe_and_everything https://www.ted.com/talks/douglas_adams_parrots_the_universe...

Hallucinaut 9y ago

Kākāpō live on three islands these days, all having been made pest free. Though where they were rediscovered in the 60s is absolutely not pest-free, though is sparsely populated being at the extreme southern tip. As a kid I used to go to the zoo and I remember the exhibit showing the population dropping to 59 birds, and feeling a deep dread about potentially losing them. It gives me hope that we've managed to bring them back to over 120 birds, I just wish other cultures had the luxury to be able to invest so much into protecting them that NZ is able to.

justinator 9y ago
http://cultofthepartyparrot.com/ http://cultofthepartyparrot.com/
- EdwardDiego 9y ago
  Oh Sirocco, you sexy head-raping parrot you, what have you inspired. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T1vfsHYiKY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T1vfsHYiKY

ItsMe000001 9y ago

I would like to add that, having read them all, I also believe that this is the funniest of all his books. I laughed way more often and much louder than at any point of THHGTTG. That reminds me that I have to reread the section where he describes German tourists in his group (I'm German)... Seriously, if you are thinking about giving a book as a gift to someone and can't think of which one to choose, this one is as safe as it gets.

simonebrunozzi 9y ago

You are going to LOVE this video then: https://www.ted.com/talks/douglas_adams_parrots_the_universe_and_everything https://www.ted.com/talks/douglas_adams_parrots_the_universe...