Ruben Bos

Not only critically endangered species are pursued in book form. In "Een vlam Tasmaanse Tijgers" (A flame of Tasmanian Tigers) Charlotte van den Broeck follows the trail of the extinct Tasmanian tiger (Thylacine). Fascinated by the fact that one of the last Tasmanian tigers died in the zoo in her own city of Antwerp, she starts a quest that takes her from natural history museums to laboratories. In these laboratories, they hope to clone the Tasmanian tiger back to life.

Or is the Tasmanian tiger still alive? A fanatical group is convinced it is, and shares sightings online. Here, desire often seems to be the father of thought, as the images are always short, unclear, or explainable (usually a fox). Van den Broeck's quest and encounters provoke reflection. How is it that the Tasmanian tiger, after extinction, can be found everywhere as a national pride? Why do we want to resurrect this animal so badly while other species are rapidly heading towards extinction?

This year I read two Dutch-language travel books about one animal species. With a corresponding message, how they are threatened with extinction.

In Wally en wij (Dutch) Irwan Droog travels after the walrus Wally. This walrus became world famous by showing itself in several European coastal towns. Like at the lighthouse on the Irish Valencia Island and on the British and French coasts. Irwan tries to answer the question of why Wally was there, how Wally's arrival was experienced by local people and how this species is increasingly under pressure from climate change, among other things. Surprisingly interesting.

“At that time the price of walrus skin had risen due to the discovery that it was excellent for polishing bicycle parts.” – Wally en wij (Dutch)

Anne Broeksma has an obsession with a completely different animal that needs protection. The pangolin. In Een verhaal met schubben (A story with scales) she follows the trail of various pangolins in both Africa and Asia. But apart from a pangolin shelter where she works as a volunteer, she doesn't see the scale animal in the wild. However, she does find how the pangolins is a 'walking bag of money' for humans. The reason that the pangolin is still being hunted for despite the fact that it is seriously threatened. A nice and sad book about one of the most special animal species on earth.

“The pangolin helped me get off the couch, focus on a defined subject and discover the wild beauty of the world, which still exists. Reading a lot of news makes me feel down. I can't fit a hundred catastrophes in my head, but it does fit one strangely scaly tree dragon.”

A few years ago I stumbled upon The Remarkable Life of William Beebe, by Carol Grant Gould. A fantastic biography about one of the last real explorers (on planet earth).

As a biologist/ornithologist/naturalist Beebe undertook countless expeditions which are hard to summarize in a short blog post. But the most imaginative are his deep sea expeditions with the Bathysphere. From this small steel ball, he descended on a cable to almost 1km deep into the ocean and described the miraculous, luminous life at this depth.

The Bathysphere adventure gets the attention in the recently published The Bathysphere Book by Brad Fox. On the basis of personal notes, drawings and photos, the expedition is further explored in short chapters. With trips to his friendship with Theodore Roosevelt and obsession with Charles Darwin and the Galapagos Islands.