He pets muddy elephants, hugs baby bears, and glad-hands lizards: Animal Planet host Jeff Corwin lives as television's ambassador/advocate for other species. In 100 Heartbeats, this Emmy Award–winning conservationist once again takes his show on the road, journeying to regions where the negative effects of climate change are already being felt. Even a quick browse of the book's 16-page color photo insert shows that the animals endangered by global warming live far from the melting polar icecaps so frequently featured in the news. Corwin emphasizes that tigers, alligators, monkeys, and other wild animals we all love could be only a few heartbeats from extinction. This 300-plus-page information trove is a boon for animal lovers and environmentalists.
Biologist, Emmy Award-winning producer and TV host Corwin discusses polar and panda bears, Florida panthers and Bengal tigers, and other creatures in this valuable, far-reaching look at endangered species and global efforts to save them (published in conjunction with an MSNBC documentary). He begins with recollections of a trip to "the ice-locked village of Kaktovik, 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle," where Corwin joins scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey studying polar bears, the first animals listed as endangered "due to climate change and the resulting shrinking of sea ice." Determined but far from didactic, Corwin hops the globe discussing a range of land and sea animals in immediate danger, but also the people who live among them and work for their preservation. He also highlights success stories: the California condor, for example, "teetered precariously at an estimated 22 birds in 1987," but intensive captive-breeding efforts have helped bring the population to more than 300. Proving that smart, concerted conservation can and does work, Corwin manages to dull the hopelessness and build a strong case for continuing efforts now and in the future. 16 pages of color photos.
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Companion volume to an upcoming MSNBC documentary on the plight of the nearly 17,000 animal species now threatened with extinction. Biologist, conservationist and Animal Planet star Corwin recounts his heartwarming experiences travelling the globe to film rare animals and their devoted human caretakers. The author writes that more than 3,200 species are considered to be critically endangered-some with fewer than 100 individuals-and he estimates that "if the rate of extinction isn't slowed, by the end of the century, more than half the animal species alive today will be lost forever." Travelling to Alaska, Corwin joined scientists who track polar bears across melting icecaps, marking and tagging them. In Africa, he observed the Mediterranean monk seal, now estimated to number fewer than 400. The author's journey to India provided him with the opportunity to watch a 700-pound Bengal tiger hunt deer at Ranthambore National Park. Fortunately, writes Corwin, many animals are being brought back from the brink. In Indonesia, he witnessed an orangutan-rescued as an infant after his mother was killed-released back into the wild after years of training him to identify hundreds of edible plants and schooling him in "the rules of territoriality, which are different for males and females." Here the author is quick to note that "with creatures this complex, rehabilitation requires a staggering investment of time and money." Corwin experienced one of his most poignant moments in Hawaii, when he saw the puaiohi thrush, one of only 15 individuals left in the species. Although at first sight it looked ordinary, "it . . . transformed into the most vivid bird I'd ever seen. Every little feather, every twitchof its head seemed as vital an expression of life force as I'd ever witnessed."Corwin advances the important message that every heartbeat matters. Author tour to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York, San Diego, Washington, D.C.
A compelling portrait of several endangered species...[100 Heartbeats is] equal-part adventure story, travelogue, history lesson, environmental textbook, and investigative journalism. Perhaps most importantly, it also serves as a call to action.” —The Scientific American
“[A] valuable, far-reaching look at endangered species and global efforts to save them. Determined but far from didactic...Corwin manages to dull the hopelessness and build a strong case for continuing efforts now and in the future.” —Publishers Weekly
“[A] forceful plea for humanity to stop the so-called "Sixth Extinction," [100 Heartbeats] stress[es] that humans are responsible for the extinction crisis, and only they have the power to stop it.” —Columbia Journalism Review
“Corwin's conversational, upbeat style makes readers care about the species in peril.” —Booklist
“Corwin advances the important message that every heartbeat matters.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The importance of this absorbing and exciting book is that it bears witness to Earth’s vanishing wildlife by an expert who has actually visited the species, one by one. Corwin reports their status and prognosis, their case histories, and humanity’s chances to save each one—if we awaken in time.” —E. O. Wilson, research professor, Harvard University, and Pulitzer Prize–winning author of On Human Nature and The Ants
“On a warming world, conservation and wildlife protection is an increasingly desperate battle. Here are the stories of some real heroes, who should move us all to real action.” —Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy
“A wonderful read filled with great outdoor adventure stories and fresh, interesting science. Jeff Corwin's love of animals shines through these narratives.” —Bruce Babb itt , former US Secretary of the Interior, and chairman, World Wildlife Fund
“Drawing from his travels to the front lines of the extinction crisis, Jeff Corwin paints a compelling portrait of the many threats facing our planet's wildlife. Alternately frightening and inspiring, 100 Heartbeats holds important lessons about the impacts we have on endangered animals and what we can do to save them.” —Rodger Schlickeisen, president and CEO, Defenders of Wildlife
“A riveting firsthand account of the lives of endangered animals and the stalwart efforts to secure their future. 100 Heartbeats makes the case clearly: Those present on the planet now have the responsibility, potential, and the opportunity for heroic rescue.” —Thomas E. Lovejoy, PhD, biodiversity chair and former president of the Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment
“Jeff Corwin is the best nature guide I know. In his gripping new book he pulls us into the life-and-death struggle to save the world's most endangered species. Rather than a collection of obituaries for endangered species, 100 Heartbeats illustrates how committed individuals and conservation organizations can prevent extinctions. This engaging mix of adventure, compassion for nature, and solid natural history is a perfect introduction to a world we are about to lose unless we act now.” —Dr. Eric Dinerstein, Chief Scientist, World Wildlife Fund
