Return of the Condor: The Race to Save Our Largest Bird from Extinction

By John Moir

Book Overview

"A heart-stopping saga of the rescue from the very brink of extinction of one of the grandest of all birds."--Thomas Lovejoy, president of the Amazon Biodiversity Center.

RETURN OF THE CONDOR is the riveting account of one of the most dramatic attempts to save a species from extinction in the history of modern conservation.

With the condor's population down to only twenty-two birds in the 1980s and their very survival in doubt, the condor recovery team flouted conventional wisdom and pursued a controversial strategy to pull the bird back from the brink of extinction. Thus began the ongoing, decades-long program to reestablish America's largest bird in its ancient home in Western skies.

Award-winning science writer John Moir takes readers into the backcountry to get to know the recovery program scientists as well as some of the individual condors. These are stories of peril, uncertainty, and controversy. Woven throughout these tales of heartbreak and triumph is the extraordinary dedication of the humans who have sometimes risked their lives for this charismatic, intelligent, and social bird.

Despite the program's remarkable successes, the condor's narrative is still unfolding with a number of challenges remaining. This includes the dilemma of lead poisoning among free-flying condors that is a major obstacle to the bird's recovery.

Finalist for the William Saroyan International Writing Prize

from the Stanford University Libraries

Honorable Mention from the National Association of Science Writers

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592289495
• ISBN13: 9781592289493
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Lyons Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful story, beautifully written

I've never written a book review before, but I just read John Moir's Return of the Condor in much less time than it ordinarily takes me to read a book. I've had some interest in condors for some time, but the style in which this book is written will make it enjoyable for anyone. John's insightful and informative tale made me feel as though I was right in the middle of the evolving story of this magnificent bird. He has crafted a beautiful and compelling narrative infused with all the elation and discouragement enountered in the condor's dramatic recovery. Try it, you'll like it!

What a story and I am not a nature book reader!

I should preface this by saying that I read voraciously but nearly all my books are international intrigue, mystery and sci fi. Occasionally I will branch out and read something different and usually it is non-fiction. I happened upon a copy of Return of the Condor and was struck by the cover. Having never seen one live and not even really knowing anything about condors, I flipped through the pages and looked at the magnificent color photos. Went back and read the first chapter and I was hooked. Although it is a true story it reads more like a novel with both intrigue and tenderness. I read it in one sitting and found myself wishing it had continued on past its ending. This is an excellent read even for someone who has little or no interest in birds or nature. It is fascinating, extremely well-written and engrossing.

A great read

This book is not only a remarkable tribute to the condor and the scientists who have worked to save it, but a captivating story as well. When the book arrived, I thought I'd take a few minutes to glance through it. Two hours later, I was still reading. Moir immerses you in the world of the condor with his eloquent writing and keen sense of story. Some of the most interesting sections are his first-person accounts of his adventures with recovery team biologists. Moir also links the condor's plight to the Sixth Extinction--the planet-wide loss of species that threatens our environment--and argues that saving the condor offers hope in saving other endangered species. "Return of the Condor" is a beautifully written book... a page turner that anyone can enjoy.

Informative and Entertaining

Condors are North America's largest birds, with wingspans of nearly 10 feet. They are also highly intelligent-and extremely rare. John Moir's passionate writing shows how a team of dedicated scientists pulled this fascinating creature back from the brink of extinction (in 1982 there were only 22 CA condors left in the world). But it wasn't easy, and the process was fraught with bitter controversy between those who wanted to leave the birds alone and let them live "free" versus those who argued in favor of collecting data by radio tagging some birds and capturing others. Moir has done an amazing job of researching this story, and his background as a birder and science writer shine through on every page. He also doesn't pull any punches that the condor is not yet saved, and that solving the problem of the birds being poisoned from consuming lead bullet fragments from hunter-shot game must be solved for the recovery program to succeed. You don't have to be a "birder" to thoroughly enjoy this engrossing story. I highly recommend it.

A critically important work--and not just for birders

What if somehow a few dinosaurs still roamed the earth--say, in Wyoming or Montana or North Dakota? Imagine backpacking in some remote spot, only to come upon a triceratops--certainly not the most lovely of creatures, but a person would be in awe all the same because of its rarity (and, of course, enormity). What would happen if that triceratops was a member of an endangered species? And there were only a handful left living in isolated canyons around the country? What would be the best way to preserve the dinosaur and encourage it to repopulate? Leave it alone and hope that it will find a way to thrive despite encroachment on its habitat? Set aside federal or state money to build huge dinosaur sanctuaries--and then make those areas off limits to developers and humans? Capture all the remaining dinosaurs and take them to zoos for captive breeding programs? These are the issues raised in John Moir's Return of the Condor as he relates the saga of what happened when all those interested in saving the California Condor were faced with the question of how to accomplish that goal--and few could agree on how to proceed. His story of the fight to save the huge bird from extinction documents the triumphs and tragic mistakes of not only the captive breeding programs but also early field interventions--and the bureaucracy that almost rang the death knell for these avian links to our distant past. If there's one thing scientists have learned in studying endangered and extinct animals, it is this: Every species on this planet has manifested itself for one reason or another. All are integral to our survival. The recovery and re-release of the condor in California is a critically important endeavor as it establishes a precedent for the re-introduction of other species. Moir's work is a thorough and precise telling of how it was done, including an honest and forthright depiction of mistakes that were made and the individuals and agencies who should be lauded--and those who should be blamed. Despite its historical content, the book reads more like a mystery than a history; not only does the fate of the condors, in particular the bird designated as AC9, compel the reader to turn the page, but Moir also explores in depth the complex question of what, even today, is killing the condor. Although I am a backyard birder and was at one time a member of the Audubon Society, I became aware of my own ignorance about the condor while reading this book. In my mind, we solved the problem of the dwindling condor population when we outlawed DDT. Turns out there was another, more insidious culprit.... In his book, Moir includes Teddy Roosevelt's admonishment, "The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in value." We sometimes allow ourselves to drift into the attitude that `someone else will take care of it' for us. Return of the Condor reminds us that once