Did you know that NATIONAL THREATENED SPECIES DAY was created to commemorate the death of the Tasmanian tiger? Here's why and what we can do to prevent other species from experiencing the same fate.
Nearly 100 years ago, and only two months after the species was granted protected status, the world lost its last remaining Tasmanian tiger, also known as the thylacine. This yellowish-brown-grey colored creature, with its dog-like head, stiff long tail and 15-20 distinct stripes running along its back, was a marsupial once found all over continental Australia. But colonization and the introduction of farming, disease, and excessive bounty hunting resulted in the thylacine’s rapid decline, and eventual extinction.
Today, there are some scientists researching methods to de-extinctify the Tasmanian tiger through stem cell and gene-editing technology. This approach remains controversial, as many believe there will be greater impact through the protection of endangered species rather than the resurrection of them.
Since 1993, such efforts have been able to save 48 mammal and bird species, including the Javan rhinoceros, black-footed ferret, and Burmese roofed turtle. Despite thousands of species declining at an unprecedented rate and 500 facing potential extinction in the next 20 years, here is something to be said about conservation intervention and its effectiveness.
Thus, extinction doesn’t need to be inevitable. With VAKOVAKO, your donations can save species from having the same fate as the thylacine. Don’t wait — start saving today.
