Thanks again to my agent Russ Galen and editor Kathy Belden, who make it seem easier than it ought to be.
Thanks also to Beth and Lori for the writers’ retreat in wolf country, and to Dan and Jo of the Hotel Killigrew. To George and Sandy, Bob and Rachael, and Uncle Jon, title consultants and coconspirators of the Proudcastle Breakfast Club. To Thelma, Herm, Dee, and Pam, who found homes for the babies. To Jean, the rat whisperer. And of course, to Kathy, whose selfless love, patience, and prodding lured the resident scribe from his lonely cave to occasional glimpses of sunlight and sanity.
Finally, there remains the acknowledgment I was wishing never to write. Several days after signing off on the epilogue of this story, with the glorious news of Richard Henry Kakapo’s miraculous revival, I received a note and photo from Don Merton, who had just returned from visiting the grand old bird at his foster home on Codfish Island. Merton wrote that he had gone to see his beloved friend, after years of separation, to say his farewells. The photo featured a beaming Merton cradling the big green kakapo in his arms. Merton somewhat casually added that both he and Richard Henry were in failing health, and their time would not be long.
The news hit with a hammer’s blow. The last I’d heard, Richard Henry had somehow surged, hinting that the most valuable kakapo in the world might be gearing up one last time to step into the ring and vie for the affections of a female. The thought of Richard Henry breeding once again, infusing the little inbred band of survivors with new lifeblood, was enough to make a conservationist’s breast swell like a booming kakapo. As for Merton, he’d mentioned earlier in the year that he was still quite fit for kakapo work, should the call ever come. But now here he was, so suddenly saying good-bye.
I wrote Ron Moorhouse, chief scientist of the kakapo recovery program, seeking answers about the mixed messages on Richard Henry’s condition. “Don hasn’t seen RH in years and RH has aged in that time,” answered Moorhouse. “For example he is now completely blind in one eye and moves much more slowly. On the other hand, from my perspective, RH is in much better condition than he was a year ago. Both of us are right, it’s just a matter of timescale.”
Unfortunately, it was Merton’s perspective that proved more prophetic. One month later, I received the news from Moorhouse:
Richard Henry was found dead on 24 December … He had recently left his normal home range and we were hopeful he might boom. Looks like the stress of getting into condition for a booming season may have been too much for him. Autopsy failed to find an obvious cause of death. We won’t get the opportunity to collect and store sperm from Richard Henry. Fortunately he has three surviving chicks and we also have some of his somatic cells in storage just in case someone figures out how to clone a bird.
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