News
Friday 4th September 2009
Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine
In 1989, the zoologist Mark Carwardine and the writer Douglas Adams set out on a year-long trip to document the plight of some of the world's most endangered creatures. The result was the acclaimed BBC radio series Last Chance to See, and the companion book of the same name. Exactly twenty years later, Stephen Fry has followed in his old friend Douglas Adams' footsteps and teamed up with Mark Carwardine to retrace the original journey for the new BBC TV series – Last Chance to See.
The first episode of the BBC's Last Chance to See airs this Sunday 6th September and follows Mark Carwardine and Stephen Fry in search of the elusive Amazonian manatee.
Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inungui)
Once described as a curious combination of a hippopotamus and a seal, this odd-looking animal has suffered huge losses due to hunting, deforestation and accidental drowning.
Some of the other animals Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine go in search of in later episodes of the new BBC Series Last Chance to See, include:
Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)
One of the most unusual primates on the planet, the
aye-aye
was originally classified as a rodent. In common with many Madagascan endemics, the aye-aye is threatened by widespread deforestation.
Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis)
Measuring up to 2 metres in length and weighing up to 90 kilograms, the
Komodo dragon
is the world’s largest lizard. Restricted to the Indonesia islands of Rinca and Flores, habitat loss and hunting has left the Komodo dragon population a mere fraction of its size 50 years ago.
Kakapo (Strigops habroptila)
A classic example of evolution on an isolated island, the
kakapo
is the only flightless parrot in the world. Having once roamed across the whole of New Zealand, the kakapo population has been decimated by hunting and predation by introduced mammals, falling to a low of just 51 individuals in 1995. Following intensive conservation efforts, the population has since risen to 91 as of 2009.
Also you can follow the link below to see some of the amazing images Mark Carwardine has contributed to ARKive over the years:
http://www.arkive.org/search/images/mark+carwardine
To find out more about the BBC's Last Chance to See, visit:
- Last Chance to See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/lastchancetosee
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