Endangered Species Books

In addition to providing an excellent overview of the role of modern zoos and of captive breeding programs, Tudge also begins the book with an overview of the ethics of conservation. Unfortunately, I did not find in that discussion an ethos that really worked for me, but the presentation did give me much food for thought - which after all is what I look for in a good book.

This book showed amazing depth in its amount of pages. The author's ideas simply made sense. Conservation is presented from every angle, never simply glossed over. The topic is made interesting and easy to understand, with explanations simple yet in-depth. All perspectives are shown. While the author makes his views known, he gives you enough room to let you form your own opinion. This book is great!

If you ever wanted to know more about efforts to save endangered animals, this is the book to start with. It is easy to read, but does not shy away from discussing relevant aspects of genetics. Chapter 4, "The Theory of Conservation Breeding," is especially good in detailing the practical goals conservation breeders hope to achieve and also the many problems they face

Amalee is back. Some of you may have met her is Dar Williams' first book titled AMALEE. Whether you've had the pleasure before or not, LIGHTS, CAMERA, AMALEE is an excellent book for girls ages 10 and up.

Amalee's summer has started with several surprises. She arrives home one afternoon to find her father and several family friends waiting with quite interesting news. Amalee's grandmother, one she didn't even know existed, has asked to meet with her. No one is totally sure what to make of this request since the woman cut off all ties when her daughter, Amalee's mother, was married and then killed in an accident shortly after Amalee's birth. All Amalee knows when she walks into her grandmother's elegant home is that the woman she is about to meet is near death.

The meeting ends up being a rather pleasant one, and Amalee leaves feeling she might be learning a bit about the mother she never knew. Shortly after their meeting, Grandmother dies, and that's when the next surprise occurs.

There is a phone call and a delivery one afternoon. The delivery is a huge box that contains her grandmother's final gift to Amalee. It is a giant champagne bottle filled with change. During her visit, Amalee questioned her grandmother about the fascinating bottle, and she was told that the change had been saved over the course of her grandmother's marriage. Now the money and the giant bottle are Amalee's.

With the help of an amazingly cute sixteen-year-old neighbor, Amalee takes the change to the bank where it is revealed that she has inherited over $2,000. Remembering the wise words of advice from her grandmother, Amalee decides to use the money to make a movie about endangered species, yet another surprise she didn't expect when her summer began.

Author Dar Williams tells the story of Amalee and her movie with great care and detail. Readers learn right along with Amalee as she researches her topic, learns the ins and outs of movie making, and relearns just how special family and friends can be. Written in an easy-to-read style that will appeal to young readers, LIGHTS, CAMERA, AMALEE is an inspirational tale.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Though she is an only child, Amalee is surrounded by adults - her father's best pals. The adults have been close since their days in college. None of them have children with the exception of Amalee's dad, so she alternates between feeling like one of the group or feeling too young around all of them.

In Lights, Camera, Amalee, she finally meets her maternal grandmother, who passes away a short time later and leaves her granddaughter a large container filled with coins. Thanks to the cute older boy next door, Amalee is able to bring it to the bank and roll up the coins, which sum up to almost two thousand dollars! Thinking of a film made by her teacher about his autistic son, Amalee decides to invest the money in her own film. With the help of her family, friends, and various scientists, environmentalists, and even tai-chai enthusiasts, she creates a short film about endangered species, filling her summer with frog facts, interviews, filming, editing, and awareness.

Through the ups and downs of her father's illness in the first book, simply titled Amalee, and her filmmaking in this new book, the title character remains thankful for the extended family she has in her father's friends and is happy to find new friends of her own. Having lost her mother at a young age, she doesn't remember her at all, and she is extremely close to her father. She wonders what her mother was like when she was her age, then learns more about the accident which took Sally's life.

These stories are similar in tone and style to the Alice McKinley books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. They are heartwarming - not too sappy, not too cliché - and qualify as clean reads. Readers will be inspired by Amalee's creativity and compassion. Recommended for ages 10 and up.

Dar Williams' LIGHTS, CAMERA, AMALEE tells of a grandmother's death and Amalee's strange inheritance of a big champagne bottle packed with over a thousand dollars' worth of change, to be spent on 'something important'. Her decision will bring her to new friendships and other changes - including a link with a long-vanished, dead mother. Her decision to get behind the camera opens up a new world of possibilities in this gentle story of a girl's ongoing growth.

This book is scholarly without being ponderous. He speaks with wit and common sense to those of us who labor in the current world of seemingly continuous struggle for recognition of a God of love and understanding of the human condition. I found myself reading passage aloud to my husband as we lay side by side reading in bed and he often echoed my delight at a voice speaking for us. It is a really "good read".

Theology For Liberal Presbyterians And Other Endangered Species by Douglas F. Ottati (an Elder in the Presbyterian Church USA and the M. E. Pemberton Professor of Theology at Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Virginia) is an knowledgeable, informative, and occasionally inspiring approach to the struggle encountered with living as a liberal in practice of Presbyterian and other Protestant churches. Accessibly presenting the foundation concepts of liberal theological thought, Theology For Liberal Presbyterians expertly explores and comprehensively addresses the issues of evangelism, the ordination of homosexuals, and the war on terrorism. Theology For Liberal Presbyterians is very highly recommended for all readers searching for a in-depth discussion of Presbyterian values in our complex and troubled world.

In this postmodern area it is not satisfying to simply do something because it has always been done that way. There is tremendous value in understanding why the tradition exists. Douglas Ottati opens the windows and allows the reader to see the evolution of major Theological points and paradigms of worship within the Presbyterian Church. Well written, insightful and cogent. You can read it from cover to cover in less than 3 hours. Reading this book will enhance your participation in the worship experience in your Presbyterian Church.

The World Atlas of Great Apes and their Conservation is a welcomed and appreciated publication. The material contained within is well researched and well presented, making it an invaluable reference for anyone wanting to know about the biology of great apes, their distribution, threats to their survival and actions being taken with respect conservation of Great Apes. The title has many applications - from those working in fields of zoology through to those wanting to develop educational information about Great Apes. It also provides insight into those factors that contribute to the success of conservation endeavours. I'd have no hestitation in recommending this reference.

This book is amazing. It is the most comprehensive and up-to-date great ape conservation book available. It is easy to understand even if you aren't a biologist and filled with wonderful photos and maps. I recommend this book to anyone with a love for great apes or the environment in general. Plus, royalties go to the Great Apes Survival Project so you feel good when you buy the book.

This book contains good information for anyone who is interested in an overview of apes and conservation. It provides behavioral descriptions of the different ape species, and gives a good analysis of the many different issues affecting conservation in today's ape environments. I recommend this book for anyone with an interest in either apes or conservation efforts around the world.

It's difficult to imagine a more timely and important book. With the recent extinction of the Baiji (Chinese river dolphin) has come the certain knowledge that our best efforts to save even flagship species may be too late. And we can't save what we're not aware of!

This book is an excellent introduction to a selection of EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) species of mammal, both for the novice and those with a broad knowledge of the animal world. In this book, you'll find photographs of animals you're unlikely to see elsewhere, from the Cuban solendon to the Sumatran rhinoceros. To see animals as universally recognised as the Tiger (listed in the thousands, across all subspecies) conveys the enormity of the tragedy.

That said, this is also a book about ecotourism, with useful tips and information on how and where to possibly see these amazing beasts. It's also pleasing to see that Madagascar rightly gets a chapter to itself, given the singular evolution and biodiversity of this "mini continent." Buy a copy for yourself, and for a friend, and join a wildlife preservation organisation or two as well!

Interesting play on the 100 places to see before you die and the like titles out there. 100 Animals does pretty much what the title suggests gives information on 100 different endangered animals from all over the world and where they can be found. The book is laid out like a travel planning book telling the reader the best way to run into each animal. Which is where it sort of goes against the message of those of us who work or have worked in the conservation industry of not encouraging people to seek out these habitats for personal life changing moments, photos or whatever. In fact the locations of many colonies of endangered species are deliberately kept secret from the general public which obviously is a bit of a hindrance to the research of someone writing a book like this which would explain why some of the more interesting species such as the Mahogany Glider, various tree kangaroo species etc are not listed in here.

The book is educational though in that it does obviously provide information on the various wildlife which could be used for school assignments and so on and also points out the threats to each species. Confusingly there is also a complicated Edge Rank ranking on each animal which even after reading the blurb on what this is, near the front of the book it makes no sense at all.

A good book to learn about 100 unique animals but don't try and track them down in the wild. Go see these animals in wildlife parks such as David Fleay Wildlife Park on the Gold Coast, QLD Australia that have breeding programs to reintroduce endangered species to the wild as you won't be disturbing wild populations and as a bonus your park entry fee will probably help assist these creatures survival as well.

I was really surprised by how much impact this one book had on me and my 4 yr old. This book is so simply beautifully illustrated, informative, and eye opening even to adults. Some animals have fewer than 20 left on the earth and will most likely be gone forever. It helps open discussion for young kids about the earth they will inherit and simple things kids can do to help. I will be giving these out as gift to parents with kindergarden and first grader kids.

My son received this book as a gift from his first grade teacher for entering a project into the science fair. He enjoys reading this book over and over again. This book has made him think about all the different types of animals and how the envoriment can cause them harm. This book gives the description of the animal, size, location and what may be the cause of their extinction. It not only teaches about the worlds rarest animals but in the back of the book there is a world map of all the locations listed within the book. I believe that this book is great for educating our children on both science and geography. I would recommend this book to any science and animal lover.

If you are reading this review chances are you are a "Wolf Lover" and like myself have an great and overwhelming interest in the wolf and its place on this planet. Sadly though, loving wolves and enjoying photographs, films and books of them will not save them from the persecution they endure by this planets most cruel predator-mankind. Author Martin A Nie points out that the Wolf stands as a symbol for Wilderness, and in the 19th Century that was a symbol of all things that mankind hated about the wild, a fear of the unknown, yet now in the 21st Century the Wolf stands for everything that we love about the wild, Freedom. So what has changed in the Wolf? That's right, nothing, the wolf is still the same animal, it is only our attitude that is different. BEYOND WOLVES looks at the Socio-politics of this change in human ideals and thoughts. Every single person who claims to support the Wolf should read this book to understand that it is a political problem that is retarding Wolf Recovery efforts throughout the world, and that these problems must be understood and acknowledged by everyone, Land holders, Farmers, Urban dwellers and Environmentalists. A personal observation about the continuing conflict between farmers (who use dogs for protection and herding) and wolf-lovers (who love dogs as well) is illustrated by wolf photographer Jim Brandenburg in his excellent book BROTHER WOLF when he writes, "Thousands of years ago we brought a powerfull intelligent predator into our caves, and today it sleeps at our feet.While we were learning to love the wolf that became the dog, we somehow learned to hate the wolf that stayed the Wolf"(J Brandenburg-Brother Wolf pg150)This is our dilema, and as an intelligent species we must attempt to make peace with the rest of the planet and its other inhabitants, because a war against nature, is ultimatly a war against ourselves. BEYOND WOLVES is divided into Four parts (one) Wolf Recovery and Managment as Value-Based Political Conflict (two) The wolf as Symbol,Surragate and Policy problem. (three) Wolves and the Politics of Place. (four) The Use of Stakeholders and Public Participation in Wolf Policymaking and Management. These parts and their sub-chapters may seem like a difficult thing to read but Author Martin A Nie is the Assistant Professor of Natural Policy in the School of Forestry at the University of Montana, and his fine fact based text is totally interesting (and backed up with copious notes) so that anyone with any interest in wolves will find it a facinating, and most of all a very important book if our friend, Canis Lupus, is to survive with us on this planet.

This is an essential discussion of the politics of wolves and wolf recovery. Nie discusses the management of wild populations in Alaska and the upper Midwest as well as wolf reintroduction programs in Idaho and Yellowstone. He is primarily interested in wolf management policy. Though he is a professor, Nie avoids scholarly theory and jargon. He writes well and the book reads easily.

Nie has a background in both resource management and political science, so he's well positioned to talk about the human side of wolves. As a result of being more attuned to the social sciences, he provides a more insightful account of the human side of the wolf-human relationship than your typical biologist - or even your atypical biologist. This is really the best book available on the political social side of wolf management. However, it's not quite as reader-friendly as Steinhardt's book.

Nie considers a series of relevant issues: the symbolic issues of wolves and ranchers, the political economy of wolf regions, the politics of wildlife management organizations, and the successes and failures of stakeholder-based management such as the Fortymile caribou herd in Alaska and the Yukon. He emphasizes the conflicts in values between wolf supporters and opponents, and is sympathetic to solutions that bring interested parties into dialogue with one another.

The result is a very measured and moderate book. I can imagine fanatic anti-wolf people hating this book, but if you are a wolf lover who can't accept the idea of shooting wolves under any circumstances, you'll probably dislike his approach as well.

I would have liked to see him broaden his subject a bit. The book concentrates on the US, though Canada (and to a much lesser extent) Mexico are also discussed. It would be interesting to learn more about wolf management issues in Europe and Asia. For that, the best source is Mech and Boitani.

EagleÍs Plume, by naturalist Bruce E. Beans, is an ambitious book well rendered. In search of bald eagles and the reasons for their recent endangered status and remarkable ñcomeback,î Beans travels from threatened New Jersey wetlands to the wilds of Alaska and provides memorable portraits of heroes and villains as well as indelible images of this most majestic raptor. Readers (in all likelihood, the majority) who have never seen an eagle in the wild will not soon forget his descriptions of the bird in fl

I found this book to be, much to my surprise, a very good read. Examples: The story of the college professor hoarding illegal poisons to sell to ranchers which are then used to kill eagles and coyotes; the retired man who learned to climb 100 ft trees to band eaglets; the Indians who kill, buy and sell eagles and eagle parts for profit; the western ranchers who live off government subsidies but who feel free to kill eagles as pests. There are many heros and bad guys in this book, including undercover agents risking their lives to catch the bad guys. But the good guys are winning and the eagles are going to make it back. A very good and readable book.

of every individual with an investment or interest in freshwater turtle biology and conservation. "The Ecology, Exploitation, and Conservation of River Turtles" is a nice extension of the entry on the topic these authors contributed in Michael Klemens' "Turtle Conservation" (Smithsonian, 2000).

The outlay of the book is very functional, the many research references made are well-chosen, and the tone of the text intersperses encouragement for change and hope throughout. It must be noted that exploitation and conservation measures are much more heavily discussed than is ecology, which is even less uniform across the species covered than the former two aspects. Case studies do figure heavily in this book, which makes it somewhat biased towards species considered, but this can only be expected due to the paucity of literature on actual implementations (for direct river turtle exploitation and conservation).

The third chapter alone, which features major river turtle guilds of the world, is worth the purchase price in and of itself. The functional summarization-nature of this book, as with the previous title of paralleled nature noted above, will likely cause it to remain an important volume for decades to come.

One star was subtracted in this review to get your attention (the ole newspaper misprint trick). This book's delivery mandates its inclusion in the book list of every individual concerned with this topic.

Don Moll and Ed Moll's book has a welcome focus on freshwater turtles-the great majority, after all, of the world's turtle species live in freshwater-and is further focused on those species that inhabit the medium to large rivers where many of the world's most spectacular species and most diverse assemblages are found. Unfortunately, as this book makes all too clear, these species are among those most endangered, both by direct exploitation and by anthropogenic modification of their habitats. As the authors point out, the global decline in river turtle species is just as dire a situation as the much-ballyhooed global decline in amphibians, only in the case of turtles there is less uncertainty about the underlying causes. The brothers Moll bring extensive experience with river-dwelling turtle faunas to their effort. In addition to having both worked many years with turtles in the Midwestern United States, Don Moll has worked with sliders in Costa Rica and narrow-headed softshells in Thailand, while Ed Moll has been most active in his work with various Asian species, in particular the river terrapin, which figures prominently in this book. Some of their experiences form the basis for the "profiles" that begin each chapter, short entertaining vignettes on river turtle assemblages of the past and the present. The book begins with an introduction to the major riverine turtle assemblages of the world, a nice complement to past geographic reference works like John Iverson's 1992 book of range maps, in that turtle biologists now have a source to consult to quickly identify the species that co-occur in any of the major rivers of the world. A short chapter on exploitation of turtle populations in traditional societies is followed by a much lengthier chapter on current trends in exploitation of turtles for meat and other uses. Overexploitation of Asian, South American, and North American species is extensively covered, while information on African species is notably sparser, although perhaps not due to fault of the authors. The next chapter, on indirect threats to river turtles, focuses on alterations to rivers and their catchment basins that cause declines in native fauna, but also includes a short section on the role of exotic species in altering river turtle habitats. The book concludes with a thoughtful analysis of in situ and ex situ conservation techniques that are being applied to river turtles around the world. The authors describe a conservation philosophy that emphasizes the primacy of the former while still finding accessory roles for the latter. Overall, the book is an engaging and thoughtful look at the current conservation status of turtles in medium and large rivers, with much information not readily available in other sources. It is bound to be referenced frequently in coming years by workers in freshwater turtle ecology and conservation.

Captain John Mackinnon and his ship, the Matthew Flinders, are embarking on their last voyage. The captain and his vessel symbolize the irreversible, quiet decline of the British merchant fleet. But this journey to Hong Kong will prove to be anything but quiet. Internal tensions among the crew provoke unrest and led to a navigation error, steering them right into the violent, destructive path of Typhoon David. Suddenly the crew of the Matthew Flinders are no longer fighting for their livelihood, but for their very lives. yet on the same sea, other lives are at stake as well. When Mackinnon feels compelled to rescue a boatload of Vietnamese refugees fleeing to Hong Kong, he sets off an explosive chain of events that will lead to mutiny, confrontation with Hong Kong authorities, and the greatest challenge of his nautical career. Endangered Species is a dynamic, brilliantly written maritime action/adventure novel.

The "Matthew Flinders" is on her final voyage for Hong Kong to be sold for scrap, and the members of the crew are sailing to the demise of their way of life (hence the name, "Endangered Species"). En route, they rescue a sinking junk filled with people fleeing Vietnam. There is plenty of excitement as this novel looks at the changing times and how we fight and adapt to them.

This is not a "historical" sea-faring novel like the Nathaniel Drinkwater series by Woodman or the Aubrey and Maturin series by O'Brien. The book is most likely set in the 1980s since there is an AIDS reference and Hong Kong is still under British control. The story tells of the lives of seamen in the British Merchant Navy as it declines.

Richard Woodman, from the information in the book, has been a sailor for a large part of his life. His detailed descriptions of the ship show you his familiarity. Also, his portrayal of the characters will remind you of past shipmates (if you have worked and lived on a boat as I have). We all know the war-veteran skipper, MacKinnon, and the ne'er-do-well MacGregor.

There are some logical problems with the novel though. First, the ship goes through a typhoon and finds itself in the eye of the storm. This would mean that the crew must pass back through the storm, but this never happens. Second, a window is shattered by the storm and someone is injured. The window is never repaired, and there is no mention of the after-effects (like wind or noise). Lastly, the navigation is mostly dead reckoning and celestial fixes. I would think that a modern novel would mention other sources (like Loran or Omega). These may be petty, but they are noticeable.

Regardless of these errors, this is still an engaging and nostalgic read. I could easily see myself reading more books by Woodman, just as I would recommend that you should read this one.