De-extincting the dodo: Why scientists are planning to bring back the bird to Mauritius

Subject: Environment

Section: Biodiversity

Context:

An ambitious new project promises to bring the extinct dodo back to life and re-introduce it in its once-native habitat in Mauritius. It is a collaboration between genetic engineering company Colossal Biosciences and the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation.

About Dodo:

The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius, which is east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.
The dodo’s closest relative was the also-extinct and flightless Rodrigues solitaire.
The two formed the subfamily Raphinae, a clade of extinct flightless birds that were a part of the family which includes pigeons and doves.
The closest living relative of the dodo is the Nicobar pigeon.

Why dodos went extinct?

They became extinct mainly due to humans and animals introduced by them in Dodo’s native environment.
Dutch colonists first landed in Mauritius in 1598. Dodos disappeared around 80 years later. Not only did the Dutch hunt the meaty bird, but the animals they brought with them — dogs, cats, rats, etc.— wreaked havoc on the defenceless dodos and their eggs.

How geneticists plan to bring the Dodo back:

Accurate and complete genetic information is required to re-introduce an extinct species. This is known as a species’ genome — each genome contains all of the information needed to build that organism and allow it to grow and develop.
Scientists have successfully sequenced the entire genome of the dodo.
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are basically embryonic precursors of a species’ sperm and egg.
Why reintroducing Dodo?
- Reintroducing the dodo to Mauritius can help restore its fragile ecosystem. The bird’s large beak indicates that it consumed large-seeded fruits, and thus played a role in the seeds’ dispersal.
- The technology would also help to conserve and restore other avian populations.
Challenge in re-introduction- For dodos to survive, invasive species including rats, feral cats, pigs and dogs, monkeys, mongooses, and crows may need to be “excluded, rehomed or even controlled.