The Odyssey of KP2

I'm in the middle of a really interesting nonfiction book. Usually it is hard for me to find a non fiction book, that's not a memoir, that I am actually interested in. But this book really caught my attention and the way it is written is amazing as well as it's topic. "The Odyssey of KP2" by Terrie M. Williams is about an abandoned seal pup (known as KP2) which causes quite a commotion on its island and in it's specie's history. The book is also partly about the biologist who takes on the task of caring for the young pup. The biologist's name is Dr. Terrie M. Williams, she wrote the book as well. I think that hearing this story from the perspective of someone who lived it, sort of makes the book a memoir. But on the other hand there is also a lot about the seal pup that the author wasn't there for. I'm kind of confused about what the definition of memoir is, so I'm not sure exactly how this book would be classified. Putting all that aside, it is a really interesting book that is full of interesting but also manages to really reach out and make you sympathize.

KP2 stands for Kauai Pup 2. This means that KP2 was the second Hawaiian monk seal pup to be born on Kauai (the island) in that year. He had been abandoned by his mother right after he was born and was rescued by islanders when he was only two days old. The interesting thing about his abandonment is that it was very unknown for a mother monk seal to not protect her pup. Yet when KP2 was attacked by a 400 pond grown male, his mother did nothing to protect him. Normally mothers would rush at the attacker and even put their own lives in danger simply to protect their pup. The islanders who rescued KP2 had seen his mother do this before, to his sister a couple years before. The mother seal was the only one they had ever seen do this, it seemed that she just lacked the natural maternal instinct. I read this and instantly felt so bad for the little seal. He was being abandoned by his own mother, and mothers are the only ones who really look after pups, if he didn't have her then he had no one. Luckily KP2 was rescued soon enough. It was really sad to hear that his sister before him had to be euthanized (put to sleep) because the mother was ignoring her ad she was starving to death.

I love animals, I'm a vegetarian, I have four pets, and I am always the one that is completely preoccupied with any dog that is around. I personally love to hear about people that actually make a difference when it comes to animals facing extinction. This story touched me because I would love to imagine me being the one who can rescue a baby seal pup and turn around the threat of extinction for an entire species. I hear about these adventures in the arctic where they face extreme snow storms and other dangers when tracking down a polar bear that is nearly impossible to find. I love that because I read about it, hear about it, and I just wish that it was me. I loved the book and I'm really looking forward to finding out what's going to happen. If you are as much as an animal lover as me, if you just like hearing about dangerous journeys in the arctic, or if you just like heart-touching stories about people who are willing to do everything they can to save one little seal, then I think you would love this book as well.