1st mammal species declared extinct since 1950s

Extinct: the dolphin that could not live alongside man

The Yangtze river dolphin is today declared extinct. It is the first large animal to be wiped from the planet for 50 years, and only the fourth entire mammal family to disappear in 500 years. And it was driven to its death by mankind.

After more than 20 million years on the planet, the Yangtze river dolphin is today officially declared extinct, the first species of cetacean (whale, dolphin or porpoise) to be driven from this planet by human activity.

An intensive six-week search by an international team of marine biologists involving two boats that ploughed up and down the world's busiest river last December failed to find a single specimen.

[snip]

This is no ordinary extinction of the kind that occurs frequently in a world of millions of still-evolving species. The Yangtze freshwater dolphin was a remarkable creature that separated from all other species so many millions of years ago, and had become so distinct, that it qualified as a mammal family in its own right. It is the first large vertebrate to have become extinct for 50 years and only the fourth entire mammal family to disappear since the time of Columbus, when Europeans began their colonisation of the world.

The three previous mammal families gone from the face of the Earth are the giant lemurs of Madagascar, which were eliminated in the 17th century, the island shrews of the West Indies, probably wiped out by the rats that accompanied Colombus on his voyage, and the Tasmanian tiger, the last known specimen of which died in captivity in 1936. (The most famous creature to have become extinct in the past 500 years, the Dodo, was a bird.)

http://environment.independent.co.uk/wildlife/article2843953.ece

What a shame. Once extinct, we can't get them back.
I am afraid that there will be many more extinctions in our lifetimes due to humans.

Protecting endangered animals is something our family truly believes we must do. It is heartbreaking having to tell a six year old that snow leopards, polar bears, tigers and rhinos will probably be extinct in their lifetime. It is possible for us to live with these animals. First and foremost, STOP THE URBAN SPRAWL!!!! Nothing makes me angrier than seeing new shopping centers, office buildings and McMansions when there are empty buildings everywhere you look. People just want new because it is new. Why not make that old factory your new flat? Refurbish that old store into new office space. If your building is decaying tear it down and sell the lot or rebuild there. Quit moving into areas where these animals live free.

Well said, tennessee. I totally agree with you. Personally, I prefer the old buildings over the new ones. They are usually better built and have much more architectural detail and character.

I fell sick thinking about a world without polar bears and tigers roaming free in their natural environments. How can anybody look at these majestic animals and not care about their continued existence??

This is so sad, I hope it gets more attention and opens people's eyes to what is happening in the world.

Why is anybody surprised? Greater China is the most polluted nation on the planet--They lead the world in both Air pollution and Water pollution

tennessee said:

Protecting endangered animals is something our family truly believes we must do. It is heartbreaking having to tell a six year old that snow leopards, polar bears, tigers and rhinos will probably be extinct in their lifetime. It is possible for us to live with these animals. First and foremost, STOP THE URBAN SPRAWL!!!! Nothing makes me angrier than seeing new shopping centers, office buildings and McMansions when there are empty buildings everywhere you look. People just want new because it is new. Why not make that old factory your new flat? Refurbish that old store into new office space. If your building is decaying tear it down and sell the lot or rebuild there. Quit moving into areas where these animals live free.

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Wow! Great post! :blowkiss:

I only wish the money that is spent in building, and contributing to, zoos, would be spent on developing very large animal sanctuaries within their natural habitat. To take an animal species that roams, hunts, and forages, over a large area, and place them in a small captive area, is inhumane, and degrading, to so many, all of whom are majestic animals. There's an enormous difference in seeing an animal in the wild versus seeing the poor neurotic specimens that are so often the product of zoos.

Cypros said:

Well said, tennessee. I totally agree with you. Personally, I prefer the old buildings over the new ones. They are usually better built and have much more architectural detail and character.

I fell sick thinking about a world without polar bears and tigers roaming free in their natural environments. How can anybody look at these majestic animals and not care about their continued existence??

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I don't know Cypros. I really don't. What I do know is that I have a six year old and to think of what his world is going to be like when he gets older scares the pooh out of me.

He understands extinction. He is really into sharks and worries that they will all become extinct like the Megalodon. He asks us questions about them and dinosaurs. He wants to know why we have endangered species.

This makes absolutely no sense in this Cloning era......move on past the Sheep if you insist on replicating!!!