Although Eldey the great auk did have a return story in my book Deader Than a Dodo, his presonal Lazarus Tale is yet to be written. Eldey the great auk’s account from my book, Deader Than a Dodo Excerpt 1 “You see; many of us here have struggled, like you, with resentment about being forced here because of the disregard of the people for our well-being. I honestly wasn’t always in agreement with helping people like Eldey. Sure I’ve made my peace with my extinction, but Eldey has always wanted to do more,” Astuto explained, “You see Tortoise, he did go back.” “You mean to say that Eldey went extinct twice?” I asked. “Yes, that’s exactly what I am saying. When Eldey went extinct and came to the Garden he was adamant about going back to help people once he found out that he had that choice. Having been here for a century and a half at that point, I tried to tell Eldey it was a bad idea, but he insisted. Eldey said that he saw people who were trying to save the great auks. He saw a renewed compassion on the part of the people that hadn’t been there before. He said many of the remaining great auks died off due to a volcanic eruption during a nesting season, not because of the people.” Astuto explained. “So, what happened when he returned back there, to the Atlantic Ocean I mean?” I prodded. “Eldey formulated a plan to go back to Eldey Island, which was once a great auk breeding colony. He returned hopeful and was in the midst of hatching the egg amidst a group of smaller seabirds when a group of sailors sent by a collector pulled up on a nearby shore. Eldey started toward the men, hopeful that this would be his chance to save his kind and show the people that conservation could work. Unfortunately, this hope was short-lived. As Eldey got closer to the men, he saw they had a bag and several clubs. He still held onto the hope that if he didn’t run, they would simply take him back to England or Iceland to be observed and cared for. Eldey’s mate, on the other hand, panicked and headed toward the sea to escape the men, but she slipped over some rocks. One of the men drew back his club and…” Astuto sighed, seemingly deciding whether to finish his sentence or not. Even though I couldn’t hear Astuto’s thoughts as he could mine, I knew the answer before I asked, “So she didn’t make it? What about Eldey himself and the egg? Did they survive and make it to the collector?” “Sadly, no. One of the other men accidentally stepped on the egg in the nest. At the sight of this, Eldey fled toward the ocean still holding onto the hope that he, himself, could somehow find someone who would be more compassionate. He never made it to the ocean and a big part of him died on the cold, rocky beach that day. There’s a pain in suffering and in facing your demise, but to do so twice is more than most can bear.” “What did you say to him when he came back to the Garden? This place must have helped him deal with his loss, right?” I inquired. “For a long time, he never spoke to me or anyone else. But after a time, more and more animals were going extinct at a faster and faster rate. This seemed to motivate Eldey, and he again expressed a strong desire to help the people. He knew simply starting again on Eldey Island would be in vain, so he brainstormed many ideas that could possibly work. He was figuring out other options and learning what choices we have here. I told him that it was too much for one animal to take on alone. That’s when we realized there was an option we’d never considered,” said the dodo, cocking his head and looking straight into my eyes. Excerpt 2 Next, it was Eldey who gave his concise introduction, “As you all know, I am the great auk, a flightless bird found on islands in the northern Atlantic Ocean. My chosen name is Eldey after the island where I last went extinct.” I felt pain for him as he recalled the story of Eldey’s tragic return that Astuto had told me earlier. “The great auks were used as a food source for sailors and our feathers were used to stuff pillows. People passed laws to end great auk hunts, but the volcanic eruption of 1830 that sank our nesting island of Geirfulasker did not help my kind’s cause. My kind went extinct on July 13, 1840, in Scotland when a group of people captured a great auk and kept it in a cage. I had hoped that these men would help to save my kind, but that night there was a horrible storm. The people thought the great auk was a witch, so killed it. As many of you know, I have been trying to find a way to help the people and decided to go back and try a second time. But sadly, my plan failed, leaving the great auks to become re-extinct on June 3, 1844. I am honored that so many of you turned out tonight eager to help too,” Eldey added before nodding toward the next in line.