The Word KUPU #11 - Jonathan Slaght

Jon holding a Blakiston fish owl in his hands (there is a fish in its beak) - according to Helen Macdonald of The Guardian this is “the best author photograph” she has ever seen

I first met Jon in Germany, when we were both 8 years old attending Munich International School in Starnberg in the mid 1980s. We were close friends back then and spent a lot of time together in and out of school. Jon’s family eventually moved to Canada and we kept in contact via fervent letter writing, which is how friends stayed in touch back then (in the last century - oh gosh,) but eventually we lost contact.

Well, until recently.

This conversation was in fact the first time we had spoken together in nearly 35 years. 

I have many fond memories of hanging out with Jon and going on adventures together in the English Gardens, pretending to be Indiana Jones, looking for spent gun shells and other armory left over from the second world war. In one such expedition, which we mention in the podcast, we found a live round of highly explosive anti-tank ammunition that had completely rusted over. Through Jon’s father we had a contact in the US consulate. A man who was a weapons expert fittingly named “Gunny.” After us two prepubescent youngsters, grinning ear to ear, presented Gunny with this bullet the size of our little forearms, he audibly gasped and barked at us to take a few steps back:

“Had you guys spun this bullet a couple more times, it would have gone off in your hands and taken you two little dudes out in a major way!”

Jon and I looked at each other with a mixture of excitement, amazement (like, woah, how cool are we?) and pride - we obviously relished the occasion and never forgot about it.

Jon on a military aircraft flying into hostile territories - Primorye, Russia

In this podcast we talk extensively about Jon’s experience in the Peace Corps as well as the time he spent in Primorye, Russia for his PhD, investigating the largest owl species on the planet, the Blakiston Fish Owl.    

World famous… in Primorye!

‘Hot owl guy’

Jon went on to write a book about this experience, a book that has gone on to win many prizes and accolades since its publication in 2020, including being longlisted for the National Book Award, included as NPR’s, the Wall Street Journal’s and The Times (UK) Best Book of the Year list and even the prestigious EO Wilson Science Book of the year award. Rumour has it that former president Barack Obama even had it on his summer reading list in 2020. It is an unbelievably entertaining read and I urge all of you to go out and get a copy, if you can still find one somewhere, as they sold out multiple print runs so far.

Owls of the Eastern Ice A Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl

Here, an excerpt from the Penguin Random House website:

A breathtaking portrait of Russia's remote far eastern forest, and of the world's most extraordinary owl:

The forests near to where Russia, China and North Korea meet in a tangle of barbed wire are the only place on earth where brown bears, leopards and tigers co-exist. They are also home to one of nature's rarest birds, the Blakiston's fish owl. A chance encounter with this huge, strange bird was to change wildlife researcher Jonathan Slaght's life beyond measure. During the following two decades, Slaght's quest to safeguard the elusive owl from extinction took him over thousands of miles of forbidding and threatened terrain. Thrilling and inspiring, his book is a beautifully crafted meditation on the natural world and what it means to devote one's career to a single pursuit.”

Praise for Owls of the Eastern Ice

Slaght's story reveals the patience and determination of a true conservationist. And the ears and eyes of a poet. Above all, he makes the people, wildlife and landscape of the Russian Far East come alive for armchair travellers. I haven't enjoyed a book on remote Russia as much as this since Ian Frazier's Travels in Siberia

Sophy Roberts, Author of THE LOST PIANOS OF SIBERIA

A fascinating account of one man's quest to conserve the magnificent fish owl of Eastern Asia, this is a book that feels both urgent and relevant.

Christopher Skaife, Author of THE RAVENMASTER

Order the book here.

Fame manifested itself in many ways for Dr. Slaght

---

Remember sharing is caring and donating is a form of sharing. If you can’t afford to subscribe to the podcast or newsletter that is totally okay, you will always be able to access it for free. If you feel like sending me a one off Paypal donation (to chrisvonroy@gmail.com) then that would be awesome. Otherwise you can also become a patron on Patreon.

Thank you very much.

Mauri Ora.

“It takes generosity to discover the whole through others. If you realize you are only a violin, you can open yourself up to the world by playing your role in the concert.”

The legend himself, Jacques Yves Cousteau.