Leave the Extinct Alone

~Max Wang 

Should Extinct Animals Be Resurrected? If So, Which Ones?

Humans are a natural creation. One day, humans will go extinct too, maybe from a colliding planet, the warming of the earth, or another scenario fit for a science fiction novel. No matter how humans will leave their imprint on our earth. Bringing back extinct species interrupts the process of evolution and natural selection, and scientists still need to figure out the potential effects reintroducing a species can have on the new environment. In addition, instead of focusing scientific efforts on resolving past wrongs, we must focus on preventing wrongs from happening in the future. Despite relieving us of our guilt, bringing back extinct species should not be a focus of scientists or carried out due to its unintended consequences.

Humans have changed the environment other species live in and accelerated the rate of evolution, but each environment cannot be perfectly reversed to its past. Natural selection pushes evolution – if a population of animals cannot adapt, they get out-competed and eventually go extinct. By using natural resources and depleting natural habitats for our own use, we act as a driver for this evolution. While unfair, some animals that are better fit for this new environment will evolve and others will go extinct. According to Stanley Temple, a professor emeritus of conservation, ‘The ecosystem has moved on … If you put the organism back in, it could be disruptive to a new dynamic equilibrium” (Yeoman). We cannot bring back extinct animals without affecting our extant species too – what do scientists deem as fair? What animals deserve to be disadvantaged? Reviving extinct animals creates a rabbit hole of unnecessary dilemmas.

Instead of fixing past mistakes, scientists should focus on ways to conserve the environment, through innovative solutions addressing the issues causing extinction. The goal behind reintroducing extinct animals requires refinement: what issue does it solve? Reviving extinct species serves as proof of ability rather than an impactful purpose, and there’s no clear progression of goals. In addition, based on a study investigating the costs of reviving extinct species, it “would be an overall loss of biodiversity – roughly two species would go extinct for every one that could be revived” (Shultz). De-extinction seems appealing at first, but the cost and minimal benefit outshine its potential.

Reviving extinct species should not be done, or be a focus for scientists. It drains resources from current conservation efforts and can lead to unpredictable outcomes, especially in an always-changing environment. Instead, we should focus on preventing extinction in the first place and enhancing conservation efforts. 

Works Cited: 

Shultz, David. “Bringing Extinct Species Back from the Dead Could Hurt—Not Help—Conservation Efforts.” Science, 27 Feb. 2017, www.science.org/content/article/bringing-extinct-species-back-dead-could-hurt-not-help-conservation-efforts.

Yeoman, Barry. “Why the Passenger Pigeon Went Extinct.” Audubon, 17 Apr. 2014, www.audubon.org/magazine/may-june-2014/why-passenger-pigeon-went-extinct.