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Ajax The Kea Dog
The highly illustrated, heartwarming story of conservation heroes, dog Ajax and his handler Corey, who traverse remote parts of the South Island tracking kea nests.
Together, Corey and Ajax traverse the steep high country throughout the South Island searching out kea nests. Their part in the kea conservation effort is essential and both Ajax and Corey can rightly be called conservation heroes.
This heart-warming story describes how Ajax was trained to be one of the very few kea detection dogs in the world and tells of his various escapades in the unpredictable wilds of the steep back-country, including flying in helicopters, working in blizzards, heavy rain and dense fog, escaping from angry wasps and sleeping out in the bitter cold.
The strong connection between Ajax and Corey has proved vital to their survival and the important work that they do. Ajax is slowing down now and soon his high-country days will be over.
Together, Corey and Ajax traverse the steep high country throughout the South Island searching out kea nests. Their part in the kea conservation effort is essential and both Ajax and Corey can rightly be called conservation heroes.
This heart-warming story describes how Ajax was trained to be one of the very few kea detection dogs in the world and tells of his various escapades in the unpredictable wilds of the steep back-country, including flying in helicopters, working in blizzards, heavy rain and dense fog, escaping from angry wasps and sleeping out in the bitter cold.
The strong connection between Ajax and Corey has proved vital to their survival and the important work that they do. Ajax is slowing down now and soon his high-country days will be over.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
6 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 2, 2020
The book tells the story of Corey Mosen and his conservation dog, Ajax, who sniffs out active kea nests. It was really enjoyable and informative, although I did expect a little bit more about the parrots. Still, great photographs and positive, light-hearted writing makes it a worthwhile read.
I wanted to read a factual book on keas after Temple's Beak of the Moon, but I found a great lack in kea literature. Other than Ajax, I've managed to find only these, if anyone else is interested:
Kea, Bird of Paradox (probably the one and only comprehensive source on the kea)
Thinking Like a Parrot (none of the chapters is devoted to keas, but they are mentioned throughout)
The Book Of The Kea by Philip Temple, the author of Beak of the Moon
The Kea by Corey Mosen
A Kea on My Bed (some very old, very obscure and very short book about a pet kea)
I wanted to read a factual book on keas after Temple's Beak of the Moon, but I found a great lack in kea literature. Other than Ajax, I've managed to find only these, if anyone else is interested:
Kea, Bird of Paradox (probably the one and only comprehensive source on the kea)
Thinking Like a Parrot (none of the chapters is devoted to keas, but they are mentioned throughout)
The Book Of The Kea by Philip Temple, the author of Beak of the Moon
The Kea by Corey Mosen
A Kea on My Bed (some very old, very obscure and very short book about a pet kea)
October 4, 2022
I am going to give this book a rating of 4, but I enjoyed it more like a 3 rating. If you really like birds and conservation effort details, you will love this book. If you want something more exciting, I would say chose a different book.
The dog is good enough, but no great moments that stick in my head. Normal obedience training, then training to hunt kea and kea poop smell. Going up and down steep slopes. Swimming streams. And of course, lots of finding kea birds and nests.
The pictures are high resolution and the background is often gorgeous. Unfortunately most of the pictures of Ajax have him with his white wire muzzle on. There of course is a LOT of pictures of Keas. They are interesting enough, but far from the most beautiful birds on the planet.
As I said, if you love hearing everything about Kea birds, and love detailed descriptions of Kea management efforts you should love this book. For the rest of us, I would suggest going to Wikipedia or a site dedicated to Kea and read a brief account. I am sure watching a video or two on the antics of this mischievous birds would also be entertaining.
Other notes: No Kleenex needed at the end of the book for Ajax. There is some references to hunting which I know is a trigger to some people. At one point he kills a baby pig with a pocketknife (picture included).
The dog is good enough, but no great moments that stick in my head. Normal obedience training, then training to hunt kea and kea poop smell. Going up and down steep slopes. Swimming streams. And of course, lots of finding kea birds and nests.
The pictures are high resolution and the background is often gorgeous. Unfortunately most of the pictures of Ajax have him with his white wire muzzle on. There of course is a LOT of pictures of Keas. They are interesting enough, but far from the most beautiful birds on the planet.
As I said, if you love hearing everything about Kea birds, and love detailed descriptions of Kea management efforts you should love this book. For the rest of us, I would suggest going to Wikipedia or a site dedicated to Kea and read a brief account. I am sure watching a video or two on the antics of this mischievous birds would also be entertaining.
Other notes: No Kleenex needed at the end of the book for Ajax. There is some references to hunting which I know is a trigger to some people. At one point he kills a baby pig with a pocketknife (picture included).
December 7, 2018
Absolutely loved this book!
February 5, 2019
Wonderful recollection of stories featuring a stunning specimen of a dog, written by a person who is very passionate about his work. Thoughtful discussions about kea management and how we can deal with conflict between kea and humans. As a bonus - some beautiful pictures!
April 29, 2019
A nice memoir about conservation work and training a conservation dog. Full of local slag and colorful photos and good information on the kea.
March 27, 2019
Ajax is a working dog trained to sniff out the nests of endangered kea in remote parts of the South Island. His trainer, Corey Mosen, then places cameras in and around the nests to monitor the kea and any predators that might attack them.
Corey Mosen is a wildlife biologist working for the Department of Conservation and picked the Border collie /Catahoula cross pup from a litter in Westport, after being advised the Catahoula were highly intelligent and had heaps of energy making them suitable for the hard work in the high country. His book describes how he trained the pup to seek out the nests and the rigorous testing which took around 18 months before he was approved. Ajax is one of around 80 dogs in New Zealand who work to detect protected species or unwanted pests as part of the internationally recognised Conservation Dogs Programme.
The pair use a helicopter for many of the journeys and often camp out together in the remote terrain of the high country. It is a wonderful story of a man and his mate working together in unpredictable weather and harsh conditions and Mosen has included a great selection of photographs many snapped by him while they have been out on the job.
The author has also included chapters “Introducing the Kea” and “Threats to the Kea” which discuss the habits of the mountain parrot and I was unaware kea nest underground, making them particularly vulnerable to stoats, wild cats, possums and even “rats have been seen hooking into kea eggs.”
The Appendix provides information about the Kea Conservation Trust supplied by Tamsin Orr- Walker, as well as information about ways to help kea and resolving conflict with kea.
Ajax the Kea Dog is an interesting read written with humour, and portrays the wonderful bond between a man and his dog carrying out important conservation work. Before reading this book I had not realized kea were considered endangered in New Zealand as I have often encountered the cheeky parrot while visiting the high country. A wide age group will enjoy this publication and it could sit well in a Library in a secondary school to promote a career in conservation.
.
Corey Mosen is a wildlife biologist working for the Department of Conservation and picked the Border collie /Catahoula cross pup from a litter in Westport, after being advised the Catahoula were highly intelligent and had heaps of energy making them suitable for the hard work in the high country. His book describes how he trained the pup to seek out the nests and the rigorous testing which took around 18 months before he was approved. Ajax is one of around 80 dogs in New Zealand who work to detect protected species or unwanted pests as part of the internationally recognised Conservation Dogs Programme.
The pair use a helicopter for many of the journeys and often camp out together in the remote terrain of the high country. It is a wonderful story of a man and his mate working together in unpredictable weather and harsh conditions and Mosen has included a great selection of photographs many snapped by him while they have been out on the job.
The author has also included chapters “Introducing the Kea” and “Threats to the Kea” which discuss the habits of the mountain parrot and I was unaware kea nest underground, making them particularly vulnerable to stoats, wild cats, possums and even “rats have been seen hooking into kea eggs.”
The Appendix provides information about the Kea Conservation Trust supplied by Tamsin Orr- Walker, as well as information about ways to help kea and resolving conflict with kea.
Ajax the Kea Dog is an interesting read written with humour, and portrays the wonderful bond between a man and his dog carrying out important conservation work. Before reading this book I had not realized kea were considered endangered in New Zealand as I have often encountered the cheeky parrot while visiting the high country. A wide age group will enjoy this publication and it could sit well in a Library in a secondary school to promote a career in conservation.
.
September 13, 2019
The Border collie /Catahoula cross pup Ajax and his wonderful owner Corey Mosen track and protect the astonishing Kea birds in New Zealand.
Ajax is astonishingly good at the job and it allows Corey to place cameras around the nesting sites to protect from predators. Their connection with each other and with the high country and the birds they protect is palpable. The book is illustrated throughout in colour,
If like me you adore these birds,dogs and the people protecting the most vulnerable I urge you to seek it out.
Ajax is astonishingly good at the job and it allows Corey to place cameras around the nesting sites to protect from predators. Their connection with each other and with the high country and the birds they protect is palpable. The book is illustrated throughout in colour,
If like me you adore these birds,dogs and the people protecting the most vulnerable I urge you to seek it out.
January 13, 2021
This book provides an insight into the unique job Ajax and Cory have. It is an easy read and the ‘kiwiness’ of the author is evident from the first page. There are lots of lovely pictures of kea and Ajax, as well as lots of stories from Ajax’s upbringing, training, and adventures. Highly recommended to everyone who enjoys NZ conservation, our native wildlife, or who loves exploring our beautiful country.
May 28, 2019
I am a huge fan of Kea (Bird of the Year 2017!!!), and of dogs with jobs. Ajax - The Kea Dog is a super cute dog with a really really cool job. I highly recommend it (don't recommend the resulting sunburn from lying in the sun reading it though...). It is an easy, informative read with lots of photos of Ajax and Kea. It definitely makes me want to get out in the hills again!
June 2, 2019
An awesome insight into the plight of New Zealand's beautiful kea and the efforts to protect. Ajax is the dog trained by Corey Mosen to help locate the kea in the alpine regions of the south island. Thoroughly recommend.
January 3, 2019
Highly recommend this - great insights into NZ Kea and their decline but also for anyone curious about how conservation dogs work.
September 7, 2020
Very entertaining book with a serious message. Lots of information on Keas and a unique working dog. Gorgeous photos of the amazing rocky terrain Keas inhabit.
A great read.
A great read.
September 23, 2020
Nice pictures and a nice story. I was interested that Ajax beginning life did not predict his excellence at DOC work.
March 23, 2023
Like many a worker, Ajax the dog doesn’t much like mornings. Not unless there’s some stinky goat meat for breakfast. But once he’s up and running, there’s no stopping this Catahoula–Border collie cross. Once he has sniffed out a kea nest, he might take the opportunity to have a snooze, while his master Corey Mosen sets up monitoring cameras.
For an inquisitive alpine parrot, however, a sleeping dog often provides just too much temptation. Adult kea have been known to strut right up to Ajax, circle him a couple of times, and peck the soft pads of his feet or pull tufts of his tail fur. Ajax, however, ignores such behaviour – he’s too well trained and placid to react. As Mosen writes, ‘For Ajax, this kind of treatment is all part of the job, and he’ll just lie there and let them do it.’
Mosen is a wildlife biologist who works around the world, but mostly in the South Island mountains. After gaining his zoology degree, he wanted to work with monkeys, and did for a time at the New Plymouth zoo. But ultimately he wanted to work in the wild, and figured kea were the New Zealand equivalent of a monkey.
Kea, the world’s only alpine parrot, are incredibly smart, curious and adaptable birds. Research has shown their intelligence to equal or better most primates, and many a tramper will attest to the bird’s ability to stealthily pilfer gear or food. With such intelligence comes a curiosity that has unfortunately caused these endemic parrots plenty of trouble: with farmers for worrying sheep, with tourists for wrecking cars. A group of kea is not called a ‘circus’ for nothing. Tens of thousands were shot prior to the 1970s, when the government paid a bounty for every kea beak. This, combined with predation by mammal pests, lead poisoning and habitat loss resulted in plummeting populations of this unique bird, which now number just a few thousand.
The Kea Conservation Trust, formed in 2006, is working hard with DOC and other groups to better understand kea distribution, the threats to the birds, and ways to increase their population. That’s where Mosen and Ajax come in. During the last decade, the duo have worked in Arthur’s Pass, Mount Cook, Nelson Lakes and Kahurangi national parks, locating nests, monitoring breeding success and banding kea.
Mosen starting looking for kea nests as a volunteer with no dog, but soon learned about the immense value a properly trained canine could bring to his role. The Catahoula breed is well known for its intelligence, and Ajax proved an adept pupil. Nevertheless, after two years of training, he failed his first test to become a fully qualified conservation dog. Dog and master had one more crack, or Ajax was out of the programme. Happily, Ajax passed with flying colours, and for the past five years has worked in some rugged areas.
While Mosen and Ajax both love their job, it’s not without hardship and dangers. Big, mossy boulders and steep gorges are a trial for a creature with no arms, and almost every day during the late summer and early autumn, wasps sting Mosen. Now middle-aged, Ajax is slowing down, and doing less trips to the mountains. Instead, he’s become a film star and conservation advocate, accompanying Mosen on school visits and featuring in various documentaries. Ajax the Kea Dog tells their story.
As she did with 'Wild Boy', ghostwriter Nicola McCloy has done an admirable job of keeping the flavour of Mosen’s words suitably colloquial, while giving the book a structured, logical narrative. It’s an easy, enjoyable read. I would have liked to better know the exact locations of places Mosen describes, and thought some dates would have been useful for the historical record, but most readers won’t care about that. Sidebars detail various aspects of kea biology – some of it sobering. For example, in a stoat plague year just one per cent of kea chicks fledge.
'Ajax the Kea Dog' will appeal not just to people interested in kea and conservation, but also anyone who likes dogs. It’s a heart-warming story of the close bond that can exist between humans and animals.
For an inquisitive alpine parrot, however, a sleeping dog often provides just too much temptation. Adult kea have been known to strut right up to Ajax, circle him a couple of times, and peck the soft pads of his feet or pull tufts of his tail fur. Ajax, however, ignores such behaviour – he’s too well trained and placid to react. As Mosen writes, ‘For Ajax, this kind of treatment is all part of the job, and he’ll just lie there and let them do it.’
Mosen is a wildlife biologist who works around the world, but mostly in the South Island mountains. After gaining his zoology degree, he wanted to work with monkeys, and did for a time at the New Plymouth zoo. But ultimately he wanted to work in the wild, and figured kea were the New Zealand equivalent of a monkey.
Kea, the world’s only alpine parrot, are incredibly smart, curious and adaptable birds. Research has shown their intelligence to equal or better most primates, and many a tramper will attest to the bird’s ability to stealthily pilfer gear or food. With such intelligence comes a curiosity that has unfortunately caused these endemic parrots plenty of trouble: with farmers for worrying sheep, with tourists for wrecking cars. A group of kea is not called a ‘circus’ for nothing. Tens of thousands were shot prior to the 1970s, when the government paid a bounty for every kea beak. This, combined with predation by mammal pests, lead poisoning and habitat loss resulted in plummeting populations of this unique bird, which now number just a few thousand.
The Kea Conservation Trust, formed in 2006, is working hard with DOC and other groups to better understand kea distribution, the threats to the birds, and ways to increase their population. That’s where Mosen and Ajax come in. During the last decade, the duo have worked in Arthur’s Pass, Mount Cook, Nelson Lakes and Kahurangi national parks, locating nests, monitoring breeding success and banding kea.
Mosen starting looking for kea nests as a volunteer with no dog, but soon learned about the immense value a properly trained canine could bring to his role. The Catahoula breed is well known for its intelligence, and Ajax proved an adept pupil. Nevertheless, after two years of training, he failed his first test to become a fully qualified conservation dog. Dog and master had one more crack, or Ajax was out of the programme. Happily, Ajax passed with flying colours, and for the past five years has worked in some rugged areas.
While Mosen and Ajax both love their job, it’s not without hardship and dangers. Big, mossy boulders and steep gorges are a trial for a creature with no arms, and almost every day during the late summer and early autumn, wasps sting Mosen. Now middle-aged, Ajax is slowing down, and doing less trips to the mountains. Instead, he’s become a film star and conservation advocate, accompanying Mosen on school visits and featuring in various documentaries. Ajax the Kea Dog tells their story.
As she did with 'Wild Boy', ghostwriter Nicola McCloy has done an admirable job of keeping the flavour of Mosen’s words suitably colloquial, while giving the book a structured, logical narrative. It’s an easy, enjoyable read. I would have liked to better know the exact locations of places Mosen describes, and thought some dates would have been useful for the historical record, but most readers won’t care about that. Sidebars detail various aspects of kea biology – some of it sobering. For example, in a stoat plague year just one per cent of kea chicks fledge.
'Ajax the Kea Dog' will appeal not just to people interested in kea and conservation, but also anyone who likes dogs. It’s a heart-warming story of the close bond that can exist between humans and animals.
September 16, 2021
this book is about a guy and his dog. the way it starts is by him voluntering to help with DOC and kea's and he goes on jobs with people who have dogs that help so much by picking up the scent of the kea's so he decided to train a dog who he called Ajax. i don't really have a favourite part because the book is so good its all my favourite part. my favourite character is Ajax because he's such a cool dog and so intelligent for a dog. how voluntering is such a fun thing to do and its all ways good to have a companian. i rate it 5 stars.
January 5, 2019
Absolutely loved this. A super easy and quick read. If you're into conservation, read this wee gem.
May 27, 2019
An informative and captivating read about a great cause and a special colleague and friend.
December 7, 2021
An excellent book to read. I loved the journey throughout and all the interesting aspects of the Kea and New Zealand.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews