Back from the Brink is an antidote to a world that seems full of stories
of wildlife doom and gloom. Amongst all the loss of habitat and the
animals and plants that are in spiraling decline, it's easy to forget
that there are a huge number of positive stories too; animals threatened
with extinction, such as the gigantic European Bison--extinct in the
wild--having their fortunes reversed and their futures secured. This is
the story of some of these successes. How the Humpback Whale, in
seemingly terminal decline because of commercial whaling, is today
recovering naturally, getting back to the numbers that swam in our
oceans before they were viciously harpooned. Others have needed
considerable help such as the enigmatic Arabian Oryx, the origin of the
unicorn myth, that was reintroduced to the fabled Empty Quarter deserts
of Arabia where over a thousand again roam. These are stories of
enormous personal courage, dedication and patience by those protecting
animals like the Black Rhino; of reinstating damaged or destroyed
habitats for predators such as the enchanting Iberian Lynx; and of
reintroducing birds such as America's tallest, the Whooping Crane, to
places where they once thrived but had long gone. Back from the Brink
recounts the struggle to win the support of local communities to accept
and bolster the populations of some of our largest animals such as the
Mountain Gorilla and the magnificent Siberian Tiger, both of which once
seemed destined for extinction. The re-introduction of the Wild Turkey,
extirpated from most American states by early white settlers, was
successful because of biologists' ability to learn from early mistakes.
The gorgeous Large Blue butterfly--extinct in England by the
1970s--would not be thriving today without the incredible investigation
that unraveled its complex living requirements, a lesson in detection
that would have challenged Scotland Yard's finest. And others, like the
gentle, lumbering Florida Manatee, its numbers recovering very slowly in
part due to enormous public support. It's the kind of care and
consideration that Man needs to share to make our planet a richer place
for us all.
