Extinct in the Wild

Diagram of Extinct in the Wild in relation to other IUCN categories.

Extinct in the Wild (EW) is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa, the only known living members of which are being kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range.

Species examples

Examples of such animals include:

• Seychelles giant tortoise
• Abingdon Island Tortoise
• Red-tailed Black Shark
• Père David's Deer
• Barbary Lion (extinct in the wild since 1922)
• Wyoming Toad (extinct in the wild since 1991)
• Hawaiian Crow (extinct in the wild since 2002)
• Alagoas Curassow (extinct in the wild since 1987 or 1988)
• Socorro Dove (extinct in the wild since 1972)
• Guam Rail (extinct in the wild since 1980)
• Black Soft-shell Turtle
• Butterfly Goodeid
• Partula (genus)
• Northern White Rhinoceros (extinct in the wild since 2009)

See Category:Species extinct in the wild for a list.

Reintroduction

Reintroduction is the deliberate release of species into the wild, from captivity or relocated from other areas where the species survives. This may be an option for certain species that are endangered or extinct in the wild. However, it may be difficult to reintroduce EW species into the wild, even if their natural habitats were restored, because survival techniques, which are normally passed from parents to offspring during parenting, may be lost. While conservation efforts may preserve some of the genetics of a species, the species may never fully recover if the natural memetics of the species is lost.

See also

• List of extinct animals
• Extinction

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