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An Orphan Seal, a Marine Biologist, and the Fight to Save a Species
Penguin Press
July 2012
On Sale: July 5, 2012
304 pages ISBN: 1594203393 EAN: 9781594203398 Kindle: B0064VPRNY Hardcover / e-Book
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Non-Fiction
When a two day-old Hawaiian monk seal pup is attacked and
abandoned by his mother on a beach in Kauai, environmental
officials must decide if they should save the newborn animal
or allow nature to take its course. But as a member of the
most endangered marine mammal species in U.S. waters, Kauai
Pup 2, or KP2, is too precious to lose, and he embarks on an
odyssey that will take him across an ocean to the only
qualified caretaker to accept the job, eminent wildlife
biologist Dr. Terrie M. Williams.
The local islanders
see KP2 as an honored member of their community, but
government agents and scientists must consider the important
role he could play in gathering knowledge and data about
this critically endangered and rare species. Only 1,100
Hawaiian monk seals survive in the wild; if their decline
continues without intervention, they face certain extinction
within fifty years. In a controversial decision,
environmental officials send KP2 to Williams's marine mammal
lab in Santa Cruz, California, where she and her team
monitor his failing eyesight and gather crucial data that
could help save KP2's species.
But while this young
seal is the subject of a complex environmental struggle and
intense media scrutiny, KP2 is also a boisterous and
affectionate animal who changes the lives of the humans who
know and care for him-especially that of Williams. Even as
she unravels the secret biology of monk seals by studying
his behavior and training him, Williams finds a kindred
spirit in his loving nature and resilient strength. Their
story captures the universal bond between humans and animals
and emphasizes the ways we help and rely upon one another.
The health of the world's oceans and the survival of people
and creatures alike depend on this ancient
connection.
The Odyssey of KP2 is an inside
look at the life of a scientist and the role that her
research plays in the development of conservation efforts,
bringing our contemporary environmental landscape to life.
It is also the heartwarming portrait of a Hawaiian monk seal
whose unforgettable personality never falters, even as his
fate hangs in the balance.
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