Growing up in Mauritius, the dodo is everywhere. You see this funny, flightless bird on our stamps, our coins, and in almost every souvenir shop. But you never see a real one. It makes me feel a little sad when I reflect on how they vanished. They were perfectly happy and safe here until humans arrived and brought dogs, cats, pigs, and rats with them.
Because the dodo laid just a single egg in a nest on the forest floor, it was a very easy meal for the rats and pigs. We made a huge mistake back then.
Lately, I have been reading about something that sounds like magic, but it is actually real science. Experts, like Dr. Beth Shapiro at a company called Colossal Biosciences, are trying to bring the dodo back from extinction. I obviously do not have a biology lab in my house to test these things myself. However, I can use my imagination to visualize what they are doing.
Scientists are studying the Nicobar pigeon, which is the closest living relative to the dodo. They are learning how to gently edit tiny, special cells in bird eggs to bring back the traits that made the dodo so unique. It is incredible to put our trust in scientists who can read these invisible instructions and rewrite them.
The Ethics of Science
But learning about this also makes me ask a lot of deep questions. How do we know what the right choice is? Sometimes we have to think hard about what we ought to do to help the most lives and cause the least harm. If we have the power to bring an animal back, is it our moral duty to do it?
Our island has changed so much since the 1600s. I wonder how the dodo will feel in the forests of today, and I worry about whether it will truly be safe. I think we have to deeply respect the perspectives of the animals we share our home with and show care for their future.
I believe we should speak up for the causes we care about and advocate for our environment. Bringing the dodo back isn't just about seeing a cool bird from the past. It is about fixing the damage we caused and finding a way to protect the beautiful nature we still have left. If science can figure out how to restore the dodo, maybe we can use those exact same ideas to stop other birds from disappearing today.
I hope that one day, when I am older, the dodo will not just be a story we tell tourists. I hope to walk into the Mauritian forest and see one waddling through the trees, giving us a second chance to get it right.
Rya