(“Don’t get bit” is his advice on dealing with snakebites.) The search for the rarest parrots, fruit bats, dolphins and other creatures in the world throws up many such moments, highlighting the very absurdity of the need for Adams’ quest. His keen eye for the ridiculous was as sharp as ever, whether he’s telling the story of trying to buy condoms in China (for waterproofing a microphone, honest – it’s standard BBC procedure, apparently) or conducting a lengthy and hysterical interview with a venomous snake expert who loathes the bloody things. In the hands of a more prosaic soul, this might have turned into a numbing travelogue, a list of places visited and critters seen with not enough spark and far too much Milo-O’Shea-on-the-hoof earnestness.Īdams, however, was having none of that. The book itself is deceptively simple in structure: At the BBC’s urging, Douglas Adams traipsed off to various corners of the world to visit populations of endangered species, and to report on his journeys. That being said, Last Chance To See is a joy, a reminder of what we’ve lost and an admonition that we might yet lose a great deal more. Reading Last Chance To See is a bit of an odd experience these days, what with the much-loved primary author having gone prematurely extinct himself.
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