Once Extinct---Now Restored
Lord Howe Island, Australia (credit: Chris Holly)
Animation can tell complex stories in a far more compelling manner than many expect. What began as a moving cartoon in 1928 with Mickey Mouse driving a steamboat has become a foundational storytelling technology now. The Australian documentary, Sticky, presents a fascinating narrative of hope about the recovery of a creature once thought extinct.
The Aussie filmmakers used cutting edge animation and music to present the colonization of Lord Howe Island, its unique wildlife, and how everything changed when an invasive species arrived on the remote island. Rats were un-intentionally released and an endemic species of 'stick insects', or tree lobster, was quickly eliminated along with ground nesting birds and other native wildlife. The large bug, a phasmid, disappeared across the entire island from the voracious predation of the multiplying rodents. By sheer chance, a tiny population of phasmids was rediscovered on an isolated rocky outcrop near the main island which the rats couldn't reach. Living specimens were collected and became the basis for a captive breeding program at several zoos for eventual release into suitable habits once cleared of the invasive rats.
Sticky is the improbably story of the restoration of a virtually lost creature, told using clever animation, that offers hope for other endangered species. It only requires being mindful to accomplish what might seem impossible. The award-winning, documentary had its world premiere at MountainFilm in Telluride, Colorado. WHB