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Seeking the Sacred Raven: Politics and Extinction on a Hawaiian Island
Seeking the Sacred Raven Politics and Extinction on a Hawaiian Island Author:Mark Jerome Walters Will the ?Alala ever return to the wild? A bird sacred — to Hawaiians and a member of the raven family, the — ?Alala today survives only in captivity. How the — species once flourished, how it has been driven to — near-extinction, and how people struggled to save it, — is the gripping story of Seeking the Sacred Raven. — For years, author Mark Jerome ... more »Walters has tracked
the sacred bird?s role in Hawaiian culture and the
indomitable ?Alala?s sad decline. Trekking through
Hawaii?s rain forests high on Mauna Loa, talking with biologists,
landowners, and government officials, he has woven an epic tale of
missed opportunities and the best intentions gone awry.A species that
once numbered in the thousands is now limited to about 50 captive birds.
Seeking the Sacred Raven is as much about people and culture as it is
about failed policies. From the ancient Polynesians who first settled the
island, to Captain Cook in the 18th century, to would-be saviors of the
?Alala in the 1990s, individuals with conflicting passions and priorities
have shaped Hawaii and the fate of this dwindling cloud-forest species.
Walters captures brilliantly the internecine politics among private
landowners, scientists, environmental groups, individuals and government
agencies battling over the bird?s habitat and protection. It?s only
one species, only one bird, but Seeking the Sacred Raven illustrates
vividly the many dimensions of species loss, for the human as well as