Frank Valoy- Chapter 13: The Thing with Feathers

             In chapter 13, Elizabeth Kolbert goes to the Institute for Conservation Research near the San Diego Zoo. Researcher Marly Houck showed Kolbert the remaining cells of the poʻouli, or black-faced honeycreeper, which were kept in a metal tank with liquid nitrogen. This place where Houck took Kolbert to see these cells was known as the “Frozen Zoo”.
             Later in the chapter, Kolbert begins to suggest that humans need to start taking action to prevent species from extinction because they dwell so much about the future, but they don’t focus on saving these species (Pg. 261). This connects to the theme “A suitable combination of conservation and development is required” because it’s been indicated that we need to try harder to find ways to preserve endangered species and prevent them from becoming extinct.
             Kolbert goes to a veterinary hospital near the institute and sees the Hawaiian crow named Kinohi. She saw that Barbara Durrant, the director of reproductive physiology, was trying to get Kinohi to ejaculate so she can take its sperm and impregnate another crow during breeding season. However, it wasn’t working. (Q) I wonder what Barbara will do if Kinohi still won’t be able to ejaculate.
             After this, Kolbert starts explaining the term “Sixth Extinction”. The term revolved around the idea of extreme changes in the environment because of humans. A quote that I found to be very interesting states, “Right now we are in the midst of the Sixth Extinction, this time caused solely by humanity’s transformation of the ecological landscape” (Pg. 267). (E) Based on this quote, humans are the cause of this extinction because they are dramatically changing the way of life for animals and plants, connecting to the theme “Humans alter natural systems”.
             At the end of Kolbert’s book, she starts to shift her focus point of extinct species to humans. While humans are hurting many species of animals and plants by altering the environment, she wonders if humans will ever be hurt by their own actions.