Poʻo-uli, a Hawai'ian bird, declared extinct 2021

The po'o-uli, or black-faced honeycreeper, is an endemic bird on Maui in Hawai'i, was declared extinct September 29, 2021.  The last known two birds were sighted in 2004.

The po'o-uli was discovered in 1973.  Its diet consisted of snail, insects and spiders, but invasive species of plants and animals, such as hogs, cats, and rats, contributed to its decline.  When they were first discovered, there were only 76 birds per square kilometer.  By 1985, the number slipped to only 8 per km2. 

Hawai'i established Hanawi Natural Area Reserve to protect endangered flora and fauna, but only 3 birds existed by 1997. US Fish and Wildlife Service declared the po'o-uli extinct, September 29, 2021.

Western Black Rhino declared extinct 2006

The Western Black Rhinoceros was officially declared extinct November 11, 2006. They were hunted extensively in the early 20th century.  Preservation efforts started in the 1930s but when they declined so did the numbers of the western black rhinos.  Poaching continued and by 2000 only about ten survived, and by 2001, only five survived.

George, the last Hawaiian tree snail, dies; species extinct

"Lonesome" George, the last known member of the Hawaiian tree snail species has died, the the species is now extinct.  He was raised in a breeding facility at the University of Hawaii in Manoa in the early 2000s.  George died January 1, 2019.

Hawaiian tree snails feed on the "gunk" that grows on leaves, which reduces the abundance of fungi and that helps protect the host tree from diseases.  Biologists think healthy snail populations could have helped prevent a new fungal pathogen that is currently wiping out native trees.

The reason for the snails' decline is an invasive species, the rosy wolfsnail, introduced to Hawaii to eat other the giant African snails in 1995.  Unless this invasive species is eliminated, there will not be a safe place for the indigenous species.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/01/george-the-lonely-snail-dies-in-hawaii-extinction/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=social::src=twitter::cmp=editorial::add=tw20190108animals-lonelytreesnail::rid=&sf205602434=1

Baiji, Chinese river dolphin, declared extinct 2006

A Chinese news agency announced early December 2006 that a six-week survey of the Yangtze River had failed to detect any baijis (Chinese river dolphins).  The species was declared functionally extinct on December 13, 2006. 

In the 1950s, the baiji population was estimated at 6000 but by 1970, only a few hundred were left.  For years, humans had hunted the baiji and other species using illegal practices, such as electric fishing.  Other causes for the baiji's decline were over-fishing, collisions with boats and ships, and pollution.  There was a failure to determine what the impact construction the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River would have on the baiji.

Pollution in the water resulted in diseases and pathogens which have also caused the decline in the species.

Although hunting the baiji was declared illegal in China in 1983, the animal was still hunted.

However, there have been a few unsubstantiated sightings of the baiji since 2007.  Even if these are confirmed, are there enough of the baiji left to repopulate the species?

Benjamin, the last Tasmanian tiger, dies 1933

Thylacines in the DC Zoo, about 1906.

September 7, 1933, "Benjamin", the last Tasmanian tiger, died in the Hobart Zoo (Beaumaris Zoo) in Tasmania, Australia.  A carnivorous marsupial, it was a relatively shy, nocturnal creature that resembled a medium-to-large sized dog. The Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, was native to Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea, but had come almost extinct on Australia when the British began colonizing the continent.

It was rarely sighted on Tasmania but were blamed for numerous attacks on sheep.  Bounties were introduced on the thylacine as early as the 1830s, with the Tasmanian government paying for dead thylacines, whether adults or pups.  It is thought that many more thylacines were killed than claimed.  The Tasmanian tiger's extinction is attributed to bounty hunters and farmers who blamed them for attacks on their livestock.  Their extinction could also have been accelerated by wild dogs introduced by European settlers, erosion of its habitat and disease.  By the 1920s, it had become very rare.  Too little too late, the Tasmanian Advisory Committee for Native Fauna recommended protecting the thylacine.  The last known thylacine was killed in 1930 by Wilf Batty, a farmer from Mawbanna.

Although it is officially extinct, people still claim to see them in the wild but none of these have been verified.

Martha, the last passenger pigeon, dies 1914

Due to the cruelty and stupidity of mankind, the passenger pigeon became extinct September 1, 1914 when Martha, the last of the species passed away in the Cincinnati Zoo.  She had been named in honor of First Lady Martha Washington.

In the 1800s, passenger pigeons numbered in the billions and flocks could darken the skies.  Since they fed on crop foods, they became enemies of farmers.  Also, people found out that passengers pigeons were delicious.  As a result, they were hunted to the point of extinction and only then, did people realize the only living specimens were in zoos.  By that time, it was too late.  Martha passed away at the ripe old age of 29.

We are seeing history repeat itself. 

The Golden Frog: extinct- Global Warming casualty

Global warming claims another victim: the golden frog (or toad).  Last seen in 1989, this small amphibian lived in the mountaintop cloud forests but have been declared extinct due to drought caused by global warming, reports National Geographic.  The deadly fungus chytrid fungus, which has been allowed to propogate because of climate changes, is responsible for countless amphibians.

The golden toad is just one of those species to help keep insect populations in check, such as mosquitos.  Without them, mosquitos could flourish spreading deadly diseases.  Also, animals who feed on the frogs will disappear.



http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140331-global-warming-climate-change-ipcc-animals-science-environment/

First species made extinct from global warming

Scientists in Australia reported back in June 2016 that the Bramble Cay melomys, a rodent found only on Bramble Cay, a tiny atoll in the northeast Torres Strait, between the Cape York Peninsula in the Australian state of Queensland and the southern shores of Papua New Guinea is now extinct, thanks to human-made global warming.

Rising waters and changing weather patterns have killed off their food source, plants which rely on fresh water.  The melomys have been starved or or drowned by rising sea levels and extreme weather events.  The tiny creature was already on the endangered list.  In 2014, scientists set traps and cameras to find evidence the rodent was still there, but nothing has been seen.


http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/15/world/australia/climate-change-bramble-cay-rodent.html?_r=1