100 Heartbeats: The Race to Save Earth's Most Endangered Species [Hardcover]

Jeff Corwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 2009

It’s no secret that our planet—and the delicate web of ecosystems that comprise it—is in crisis. Environmental threats such as climate change, pollution, habitat loss, and land degradation threaten the survival of thousands of plant and animal species each day. In 100 Heartbeats, conservationist and television host Jeff Corwin provides an urgent, palpable portrait of the wildlife that is suffering in silence and teetering on the brink of extinction. From the forests slipping away beneath the stealthy paws of the Florida panther, to the giant panda’s plight to climb ever higher in the mountains of China in search of sustenance, to the brutal poaching tactics that have devastated Africa’s rhinoceros and elephant populations, Corwin takes readers on a global tour to witness firsthand the critical state of our natural world. Along the way, he shares inspiring stories of battles being waged and won in defense of the earth’s most threatened creatures by the conservationists on the front lines. These stories of hope and progress underscore an important message: Our own survival, as well as that of the world’s wildlife, is in our hands. The race to save the planet’s most endangered wildlife is under way. Every heartbeat matters.

 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Biologist, Emmy Award-winning producer and TV host Corwin discusses polar and panda bears, Florida panthers and Bengal tigers, and other creatures in this valuable, far-reaching look at endangered species and global efforts to save them (published in conjunction with an MSNBC documentary). He begins with recollections of a trip to "the ice-locked village of Kaktovik, 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle," where Corwin joins scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey studying polar bears, the first animals listed as endangered "due to climate change and the resulting shrinking of sea ice." Determined but far from didactic, Corwin hops the globe discussing a range of land and sea animals in immediate danger, but also the people who live among them and work for their preservation. He also highlights success stories: the California condor, for example, "teetered precariously at an estimated 22 birds in 1987," but intensive captive-breeding efforts have helped bring the population to more than 300. Proving that smart, concerted conservation can and does work, Corwin manages to dull the hopelessness and build a strong case for continuing efforts now and in the future. 16 pages of color photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Corwin states that the only species capable of saving endangered animals is the one that got them into trouble in the first place—humans. The “100 heartbeats” of the title refers to just how scarce these animals are: each species with 100 or fewer living individuals. Animal Planet star Jeff Corwin looks at the critically endangered and examines what is being done to save them, beginning with a chapter that discusses the broad causes of extinction—global warming and the loss of habitat—and then examines specific threats to endangered species while looking at animals most at risk from these threats. The cats, both big and small, and the giant panda are poster species for habitat loss; Hawaiian honeycreepers and Puerto Rican crested toads suffer from the depredations of introduced alien species; California condors and Chinese alligators contend with pollution of their limited habitat; and illegal hunting and capture for the pet trade doom elephants and many primates. Corwin’s conversational, upbeat style makes readers care about the species in peril. --Nancy Bent

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (October 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605298476
• ISBN-13: 978-1605298474
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #764,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 100 stars for 100 Heartbeats!!, October 20, 2009

By 

B. Smawley (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 100 Heartbeats: The Race to Save Earth's Most Endangered Species (Hardcover)

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I was familiar with Jeff Corwin only by occasional glimpses of his show on Animal Planet. And based on that exposure I rather thought of him as an entertainer but ordered *100 Heartbeats* anyway because it is about animals. Was I in for a surprise. This book is a well researched, well reasoned exposition on animal extinction -- animals that have already gone extinct, others that are clearly endangered or threatened and those that have been saved or are in the process of being saved. One would wonder how he managed to keep his objectivity after all he has seen but he did IMO.

The book is divided into sections. Part 1 is about global warming and habitat loss. This part is scary since it is so hard to convince some that global warming is even happening. Isn't our earth and its inhabitants too precious to take a chance? How can it hurt to protect all living things--after all, each one has its own purpose. Part 2 is about introduced species, pollution, and disease. This section covers introduced species such as pigs or cats (or man) which once introduced into a system, can decimate local species. Mr. Corwin had numerous examples in the book. He also discusses the affects of pollution and poaching on wildlife. Part 3 is about education vs. exploitation.

Mr. Corwin's encounter with chimps when he visited their sanctuary was funny. He also described a heartbreaking incident about a baby chimp clinging to his mother. I won't say more for those of you who have yet to read the book. He also holds a baby orangutan in his arms, an experience he humanizes. He allows that humans and primates are similar yet different so if I could ask Mr. Corwin one question it would be why is it that those who work with animals constantly explain to the rest of us that they are not anthropomorphizing? Is it really so hard to assume that many animals have human tendencies or have their own way of thinking? Homo sapiens can certainly act like animals so when a chimp acts human, why is it still acting like an animal?

I was impressed with this book and highly recommend it. Mr. Corwin does not claim to be a scientist but a naturalist which is probably better since science excludes any consideration of common sense. As I stated above, he has written a well researched and objective book. I recommend this book not only for the already converted but for those still looking for answers. *100 Heartbeats* may just give you reason to think, to wonder about what will happen to us if we destroy all other living creatures.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not necessarily as expected, but very well done, September 24, 2009

By 

Jesse D. Walker (Logan, UT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 100 Heartbeats: The Race to Save Earth's Most Endangered Species (Hardcover)

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Those who are used to Jeff Corwin through his television programs may be in for something of a surprise... this isn't a funny book, and it's not targeted at younger audiences. Corwin comes across as an experienced conservation biologist, and presents a lot of scientific data along with his personal experiences. He's a great writer, and easy to follow, so it's hard to put the book down (a little unusual for a "science" book). I really enjoyed reading it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book for a Broad Audience, July 9, 2010

By 

Matthew A. Bille (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 100 Heartbeats: The Race to Save Earth's Most Endangered Species (Hardcover)

I thought of Corwin as a good TV host and knowledgeable zoologist and didn't know he was also a good writer. In this book, he writes movingly of his experiences with some of the world's rarest wildlife. (The title refers to the "100 Heartbeats Club" - the species with less than 100 known survivors.)
Corwin mainly organizes the book, not by animal type, but by the type of threats - pollution, habitat loss, etc. From this structure, he recounts his own experiences and plenty of important reports and statistics. He covers some causes and effects we might not always think of, like what the popularity of plastic wine corks means for the Spanish lynx. One anecdote that stands out to me is his almost spiritual chance encounter with a Florida panther ("It broke through the leaves and, seemingly in slow motion, floated to the ground. It was darker than the panthers I'd seen in photos, more charcoal than sage..." )
There are stories of hope here, too. I knew the Mauritius kestrel had just barely been saved from extinction, but I did not know the International Council for Bird Preservation had acutally given up on this raptor - they sent a scientist to shut down their conservation effort, and he found a way to revive it instead. Corwin's account of a Ugandan army officer who saved a wounded chimp he could have sold is as heartwarming as his tale of the Tasmanian tiger's extinction is grim. (The Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, is a favorite of mine: I wrote in my book Shadows of Existence (Hancock, 2006) that a few living ones might linger, but Corwin seems sure they do not, although he expresses guarded, perhaps wistful, hope about the idea of resurrecting it someday from its DNA.)
Corwin ends by asking everyone to look around for ways they can contribute to conservation. "Most things start small," he writes.
This is a book written with scientific accuracy and presented for a broad audience. Corwin can occasionally be a little condescending (we know what an icebreaker is, Jeff), but that's a quibble. A glossary, thorough endnotes, and a bibliography complete a book that's an important and well-supported appeal to both reason and emotion.
- Matt Bille
Author, Shadows of Existence: Discoveries and Speculations in Zoology (Hancock, 2006)