Article- Pro/Con: Should we bring back extinct animals?

Pro: Bringing back extinct species would protect biodiversity.

Imagine that centuries from now humans have gone extinct and an alien species has landed on earth for a little
archaeology and exploration. These aliens find an ancient mosquito trapped in tree sap. That mosquito, many
years ago, sipped its last meal from you. With just that tiny bit of your DNA, those aliens are able to recreate you
and bring back humanity. Most people would agree this is a good thing, right? This science fiction premise is
currently on the verge of becoming reality. In fact, scientists were able to briefly bring to life an extinct Pyrenean
Ibex, a type of wild, horned goat. In 2003, they cloned an Ibex using DNA from the last known living one, which
died in 2000. Then they used an adult female goat to carry the fetus, and it was born successfully. Unfortunately,
the Ibex died seven minutes after birth because of a lung issue, but that isn’t the point. The point is that the Ibex
was born at all, and that is a big success in the science of bringing back extinct animals.

While many believe that resurrecting extinct species would be harmful, there are multiple reasons, such as
protecting biodiversity, that show that the benefits outweigh the risks. Even if only one or two species could be
brought back, there would be a tremendous impact on our planet.

Save the Animals, Save the World

Think of what amazing possibilities this breakthrough in science could hold. Humanity may have found the key to
halting extinction and maintaining the biodiversity of our planet. Some scientists fear that we are currently facing
Earth’s sixth mass extinction event, meaning that many different species are dying out. One study found that
billions of regional or local populations of both common and rare animal species have been lost. Humanity should
use this cutting-edge technology to bring back extinct species and protect Earth’s biodiversity. Animals can go
extinct for a number of reasons. Although some extinct animals are well-known (e.g., dinosaurs), more animals are
extinct than people might realize. In fact, since the year 1500, more than 300 types of mammals, birds, reptiles,
and amphibians have died out.
There are those who believe that extinction is just an outcome of the natural process of evolution throughout the
years. However, many scientists believe that modern extinctions are caused, in part, by human actions. For
example, the lion once inhabited most of Africa, southern Europe, and the Middle East, but due to habitat
destruction, overhunting, toxic pollution, and other factors, the majority of lion populations are gone. The huia bird
died out in the early 20th century not only because of deforestation and destruction of their natural habitats by
European settlers, but also because of the high demand for mounted huia birds by museums and private
collectors.

Why Bother?
Most biologists agree that biodiversity is important for the continued existence of all creatures on earth, humans
included. Think back to 4th grade science class when you learned there is a cycle of life that is vital for everything
involved. Each creature, bacteria, and plant plays an important role in supporting other living creatures in their
environment and maintaining a balanced ecosystem. Consider this: The passenger pigeon is an animal that has
gone extinct but might be helpful to the environment if it was returned. Passenger pigeons helped spread the
seeds from trees through their droppings. Many trees — specifically white oak trees — aren’t able to spread seeds
effectively without this help. If humans could bring back the passenger pigeon, it could impact the growth and
health of these trees as a species, which would in turn impact the quality of the air humans breathe and provide
habitats for other animals in the ecosystem.

Another hypothetical example is the woolly mammoth. Many scientists predict that if woolly mammoths were alive
today, they might cause the effects of climate change to slow. When the woolly mammoths existed and walked
across the Arctic tundra, they dug through the snow to get to the tasty grass below. This allowed the Arctic chill to
reach deeper into the earth, which helped keep it frozen. The colder earth held in more carbon and greenhouse
gases, which meant they weren’t being released into the atmosphere. Without this help, the planet now releases
more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. In conclusion, it would be
irresponsible for humanity to ignore its ability to bring back creatures that are extinct, and it could improve the
biodiversity on earth. There are many ways that biodiversity positively impacts all kinds of life, and using scientific
advances to protect and expand biodiversity would be beneficial for every living thing on the planet.

Con: Bringing back extinct species is dangerous and

reckless.
It used to be true that extinct animals were gone forever, but new ideas in science have shown that maybe this
isn’t the case after all. People are certainly excited by the possibility, and many TV shows and movies show worlds
where extinct animals once again roam the earth. Although scientists haven’t yet learned how to bring back whole
parks full of dinosaurs, it might still be possible to bring back some animals that are no longer around.

Of course there are definitely reasons not to bring animals back from extinction. Anyone who has read or seen
Jurassic Park knows that just because scientists can do something doesn’t necessarily mean that they should.
There are alternatives to bringing back entire species. Scientists could use the genetic information of extinct
animals to modify current animals, but there is no way to know what kind of impact that might have on our planet.
In fact, bringing these extinct creatures back in any form is both dangerous and reckless because it’s impossible to
accurately predict the consequences.
What Harm Could It Cause?

The first factor to consider is the effect reintroduced animals could have on the environment itself. While scientists
suspect that the woolly mammoth and passenger pigeon could have a positive impact, there’s no way to predict
this with certainty. There’s also no way to know whether the reintroduced species would affect the environment in
other ways. Scientists would have to carefully consider how the species would interact with the flora and fauna in
the affected ecosystem. They would also have to think about the effect these interactions could have on the
animals already there. Bringing back animals that have been extinct for hundreds of years could create an invasive
species, which are already a huge problem in many places.

For example, in the Florida Everglades, an unknown number of Burmese pythons escaped pet stores and zoos
due to damage by a 1992 hurricane. They have since multiplied (with some scientists estimating the number in
Florida to be hundreds of thousands!) and caused irreversible harm to the local ecosystem. Because of this
snake’s ability to eat large animals, including deer and alligators, it has virtually no predators to stop its spread.
This means that Burmese pythons consume both common and rare animal species, which can lead to the
extinction of those species. If scientists brought back another creature that had a similar impact on the area where
it was introduced, they could actually make the problem of extinction worse than it was before!

Another question to think about is this: Would having the technology to reliably recreate extinct animals make
people take the issue of extinction less seriously? If bringing animals back from extinction is possible, will people
become complacent about causing extinction? Would they think it’s no big deal for other animals to die out
because we could just resurrect them? Such disregard could lead to additional pollution or to an increase in
harmful human practices that negatively impact the environment.

Lastly, scientists must consider the fact that they could lose track of the reintroduced species as they live and mate
in the wild. Eventually it would be very hard for scientists to control where these new species move to and how
they mate. This could lead to further unexpected consequences directly impacting ecosystems that weren’t
previously considered for the reintroduced species and unintended breeding with existing species.

In conclusion, bringing extinct animals back from the dead is too risky to justify. Not only could it jeopardize the
delicate balance of earth’s ecosystems, but humans might not view extinction as an important issue if we could
easily resurrect species.