Conservationist Cory Mosen launches new book

Cory Mosen has written a new book about his life as a wildlife biologist and conservationist. Photo / Paul Brooks

Corey Mosen first grabbed national attention with his photographic book The Kea, and quickly followed it up with his book about his conservation work with that beloved alpine parrot, Ajax the Kea Dog, in which readers all over New Zealand fell in love with Ajax, a border collie-catahoula cross trained by Corey to find kea nests.

Now Corey has written a new book in which he takes the reader on a trip around the world and New Zealand. Ajax's Sidekick will be launched on Sunday at Paige's Book Gallery, where fans will be able to meet Ajax and Corey.

CopyPress has this to say: "In his new book, Corey Mosen, wildlife biologist, conservationist and photographer, indulges us with no shortage of high-impact entertainment, tidbits of education, and a smattering of humorous nonchalance which results in a read which is fascinating and at times, a little nerve-wracking - in a good way. His stories are matched with stunning photographs, mostly his own, of wildlife and landscapes."

The cover photo is by Neil Silverwood, a National Geographic photographer who accompanied Corey and Ajax on a kea expedition.
Printed by Nelson-based CopyPress, the book is similar in style and format to Corey's previous book, Ajax, the Kea Dog. The printers have done a fine job in simulating the feel of the previous book.

"I've been working on [this book] for years," says Corey. "A lot of it is from blogs I made for Forest & Bird and I expanded on them, put them into chapters ... it's to get people motivated into conservation, but also, I did it as a way to show my kids what I used to do. There's still lots more to write."

The book has plenty of photographs, many taken by Corey, an accomplished photographer himself, but others too, all by people he knows and has worked with.

Conservation has taken Corey on adventures around the world, giving him plenty to write about and photograph.

"A big chunk of the book was written in Fiordland when it was raining and there was nowhere else to go." He has a Bluetooth keyboard attached to his phone and spent ages typing away in his tent.

Ajax's Sidekick is being launched on Sunday at Paige's Book Gallery in Whanganui. Photo / Supplied

Ajax's Sidekick is to be launched on Sunday at 2pm at Paige's Book Gallery, which will stock the book. Corey is bringing Ajax along for the outing.