Books in Back from the Brink series

"The Grand Cayman blue iguana is named after the small island in the Caribbean Sea on which it lives. The largest reptile on the island, it had few predators until people arrived. Habitat loss and invasive species quickly diminished the blue iguana population to fewer than 25 by 2005. This captivating book traces the iguana's remarkable journey back from the brink of extinction and highlights the continued efforts to protect the species"--

Less than two decades ago, four Island Fox subspecies faced extinction. Human activities, including pollution and the introduction of invasive species, threw the Channel Islands� ecosystem out of balance. Thanks to the concerted efforts of wildlife biologists, government officials, and others, the island fox has made the fastest recovery of any mammal in the history of the Endangered Species Act. This fascinating book traces the events that nearly caused the island fox�s demise, and the collaborative efforts that led to recovery of this �comeback kit.�

The black-footed ferret was once listed as extinct on the prairies of North America. Its population had been devastated by a disease that also reduced its main food source--prairie dogs. This book tells the fascinating story of the black-footed ferret's rediscovery in 1981 by a dog in Wyoming. Readers will learn how the find inspired a captive breeding program that is restoring not only this prairie species to the wild, but its essential food source as well, the prairie dog.