Richard Henry, Legendary Kakapoo Who Saved His Entire Species, Dead at 80

Let's raise a glass to Richard Henry,

the legendary Kakapoo parrot without which the entire Kakapoo species might well be lost to the world. Back in 1975, when the Kakapoo - an odd, flightless creature right out of Dr. Seuess - was thought to be extinct, scientists stumbled upon the middle-aged Richard Henry in Fiordland, New Zealand. Using the parrot to mate with a couple of surviving hens residing on a different island, thus adding much-needed genetic diversity to the Kakapoo's gene pool, they were able to coax this species back, and it appears that they have a good chance of surviving long-term. For more of this fascinating story, check out TreeHugger.com's article on Richard Henry.