In the early ’40s, Kerouac attended Columbia University on a football scholarship, but a leg injury ended his football career and forced him to drop out of school. At that time, the Beats were in their infancy. The woolly flying squirrel vanished for 70 years.īeaten down, the world against them, exhausted-such was the self-assessment of the Beat Generation, as defined by Jack Kerouac in a 1948 conversation that became part of a 1952 New York Times article. Animals in a drought may leave for a wetter habitat. The Himalayas contain a variety of unique species. Woolly flying squirrels excrete an unusual substance. According to the passage, all of these are true EXCEPT: Only the advent of war in Afghanistan forced him to abandon the area, and he remains connected to scientists in Pakistan who are continuing the effort. With scientists and students from Pakistan, Zahler began work on a program to protect the squirrel’s habitat. Not only were the squirrels’ caves remote and isolated, it was often necessary to rappel down or climb up sheer cliffs to reach them.Įach rediscovery gives scientists a vital second chance to protect and preserve our rarest, most fragile species.

Despite frequent avalanches, the Himalayas are a geologically stable area with a harsh but stable climate and a number of rare species. The squirrel certainly obeyed all of MacKinnon’s regulations. Following that surprise, Zahler located evidence of live squirrels throughout the region. Zahler agreed to pay top dollar, never envisioning that 2 hours later, he would be presented with a woolly flying squirrel in a bag. The pair claimed to be salajit collectors. After some small talk, one asked whether he would be willing to pay for a live squirrel. One day, two large, machine gun–toting men entered his camp. Policemen told him that the squirrels indeed existed in caves above the valley, and that they excreted a substance, salajit, that was used as an aphrodisiac. He dodged avalanches, skirted valleys patrolled by armed warlords, and crossed mountains on narrow goat paths. Zahler continued to set traps, listen to squirrel legends, and ask questions. Many recalled hearing tales about the strange animal, but all insisted it was extinct. He quizzed the local residents about the squirrel. Working with a guide, Zahler moved from valley to valley. Because he did not wish to spend time in the steamy environment of the Congo basin, he eliminated the aquatic gene from his list and decided to concentrate on the woolly flying squirrel, which lived in the high Himalayas where there were fewer bugs and no tropical diseases. As he describes it, he had narrowed down his search to two animals, using the criteria mammal, not too small, relatively unknown, and in need of conservation intervention. He was searching for the woolly flying squirrel, a dog-sized squirrel last seen in 1924.

In 1994 American biologist Peter Zahler took his second trip to the isolated valleys of the Diamer region in northern Pakistan. An area that is very isolated or difficult to access will naturally have species that cannot be found anywhere else.

Of course, this requirement refers back to requirement number two, isolation. A fourth key thing scientists should look for, according to MacKinnon, is an area with a variety of unusual species that are specific to that area. Stability of climate ensures that the animals that live in the region have had no reason to leave for warmer or wetter environments.Īlthough most of the recent discoveries and rediscoveries of animal species have taken place in tropical, humid regions, some have occurred in rarely explored mountain habitats. A stable climate is a third thing to look for. Often, cultivation eliminates the trees or shrubs that house and protect animal life. Cultivated areas are inhospitable to many animals. Second, scientists are most likely to find undiscovered or rediscovered species in remote, isolated areas. Areas with regular earthquakes or volcanic eruptions are less likely to contain species that go back thousands of years because, obviously, the frequent upheavals are not conducive to steady growth or a comfortable way of life. First, scientists should look in areas that are geologically stable. According to Professor John MacKinnon, certain places are more likely than others to house new or rediscovered species.

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