Extinction Club

<p>For one thousand years the Milu -- an exotic species of deer with the neck of a camel horns of a stag feet of a cow and tail of a donkey -- existed only in the Chinese emperor's private park in Beijing. But in the nineteenth century a Basque missionary risked his life to obtain a specimen then embalmed it and sent it to Paris. </p><p>The preserved remains caused quite a stir and soon every major nation in Europe possessed a Milu. But most died quickly and due to war -- most notably the Boxer Rebellion -- they became extinct in their native habitat as well. Yet the eleventh duke of Bedford was devoted to preserving the Milu. Under his care at Woburn Abbey a herd flourished and nearly a century later in 1986 part of the British herd was returned to China. </p><p>In his fascinating tale Robert Twigger poignantly recounts the story of this strange and rare animal while providing a riveting meditation on evolution truth-telling extinction myth-making and survival.</p>