Last Call

Though simple in concept, actually knowing that something is extinct – that is, that the last individual of a species has disappeared – is incredibly difficult. Scientists rely on extensive and intensive surveys in the wild, and only if no solid evidence of life is found over an extended period of time will they conclude that the species is likely extinct.

These species are examples of when this process was happily proven to have come to the wrong conclusion. After having been lost to science for many decades and presumed extinct, each of these was discovered alive. In the case of the Black-naped Pheasant Pigeon, indigenous knowledge proved the key to its rediscovery. While "lost to science" for 126 years, a few inhabitants of remote Fergusson Island were familiar with the bird and still saw it from time to time in a specific area. Their deep knowledge was the key to successfully capturing footage of the bird as they were able to indicate appropriate sites for placing field cameras.