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WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
The following are just some of the accolades Return of the Condor has generated in the scientific community. Actual reviews follow. »
Audubon himself would be delighted to read John Moir's exciting and authoritative account of the difficult, politically fraught but ultimately rewarding effort to save the largest of all the living birds, a great shadow in the sky above the Western range. I certainly was.
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A heart-stopping saga of the rescue from the very brink of extinction of one of the grandest of all birds. Starting with page one, I was captured by RETURN OF THE CONDOR. America is the richer for the success of those who fought against all odds . . . and this tale is one all should read.
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By the 1980s, the California condor was well on its way to extinction. The saga of this magnificent bird, which had soared above the North American continent at a time when mastodons and saber-toothed cats still roamed the Earth, seemed to be nearing the end. The only thing standing in the way of this grim fate was the dedication of a small group of researchers and naturalists, committed to saving the condor. With eloquence and insight, John Moir chronicles the effort to save this spectacular bird. His book is a remarkable testament to what a few dedicated individuals can accomplish.
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RETURN OF THE CONDOR is an account of cutting-edge conservation biology, but it is also an eminently human story. John Moir’s focus is on the problematic intersection between science and scientists, between bird lovers and the great bird itself. The subject matter—complex and controversial, ultimately heartwarming—demands a skilled and sympathetic writer, and Moir’s chronicle is thoroughly successful in this regard.
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John Moir’s dramatic account of bringing the condor back from the brink of extinction is a reminder of the fragility of life on our planet and of the capacity of one species, humans, to protect or extinguish all others. RETURN OF THE CONDOR is a powerful tribute to the scientists, politicians, hunters, environmentalists, and concerned citizens who ultimately found a way to work together to ensure the survival of one of the most remarkable species on Earth.
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Pulling the California condor back from the brink of extinction has been difficult, and expensive. But this fine book by John Moir makes abundantly clear why preserving magnificent beings like our once-more wild condors is one of 21st century society's more important obligations.
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John Moir has written an uplifting and well-researched tale that takes us on the condor's roller-coaster ride to recovery. Equally exhilarating and heartbreaking, this important story brings complex issues into clear focus and lets us understand—with both heart and mind—why we need to save this intelligent and majestic bird.
Reviews
Moir deftly chronicles the efforts of the dedicated biologists at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service who work to save the California condor from extinction. [He] keeps the reader in suspense from the poignant moment when the last wild condor was captured to the triumphant morning in 1992 when the first birds raised in captivity were released.
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This fine book provides a valuable update on North America's largest bird. Award-winning science journalist Moir provides an informed retelling of an oft-told story. He has interviewed many of the principals, having lived most of his life in condor country, and writes engagingly of the bitter disagreements between proponents and opponents of captive breeding, the political implications of this story, the dangers newly released condors face, their surprising intellect, and the interest and publicity they have garnered. Highly recommended.
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The story of possibly the greatest achievement of the Endangered Species Act, the rescue of the California condor from the brink of extinction, begins with the emotional description of the hatching of the last wild condor and his eventual capture for captive breeding. AC9 (for adult condor number 9) hatched in 1980 and was the last free-flying condor when he was captured in 1987 and sent to join the other 26 members of his species at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. The as-yet-unsuccessful breeding program was a last-ditch effort to save the species and was highly controversial. Moir, whose prize-winning story for Birding magazine grew into this book, tells of the salvation of the condor; of the fighting between those who advocated a hands-off, save-the-habitat approach and those who wanted a hands-on, captive-breeding approach; of the setbacks; and of the eventual success of the breeding program and the release of captive-bred condors into the wild. This engrossing book, although less scientific than Noel Snyder's The California Condor (2000), nevertheless updates that earlier work.
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Moir does an excellent job of telling this contentious and fascinating story.
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A riveting, readable story of a bird's rescue. Offers inspiration to any who read about human-influenced extinctions.
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Moir relates vividly the gripping history of these birds' survival against all odds with the help of dedicated and ingenious teams of scientists.
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The story grips our attention as a good novel does and will be enjoyed by birders, environmentalists and curious laymen alike.
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Moir tells the tale with eloquence and passion.
RETURN OF THE CONDOR is a contemporary and compelling story of species preservation that is both well-documented and told with tantalizing suspense that makes the book a fast read.
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An enjoyable book. We meet the most important players in the recovery project, and Moir tells the tragic and hopeful stories of several individual condors. He even includes an appendix with detailed directions to condor-viewing sites.
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