DODO - ENVIRONMENT

News: Dodo De-extinction Project

 

What's in the news?

       Scientists have launched an ambitious Dodo De-extinction Project to bring the dodo back to life and also re-introduce it in its once-native habitat in Mauritius.

 

About Dodo:

       Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a flightless bird endemic to the Island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.

       Its closest relative was the also-extinct and flightless Rodrigues solitaire.

       The closest living relative of the dodo is the Nicobar pigeon.

 

IUCN Status - Extinct

 

Causes of extinction:

       Hunting by humans as well as dogs, cats, etc.