The Bramble Cay melomys were first discovered in April 1845 by Charles Bampfield Yule. They were so plentiful that the crew shot them with bow and arrows for fun. In May of the year naturalists John MacGillivray and Joseph Jukes sent a specimen to the British Museum of Natural History and it is still stored there today. In 1978, the species numbered in the hundreds. A 1998 survey captured 42 melomys and the population was estimated at 90. By 2010, only 12 individuals were captured. The total population in 2008 was estimated to be less than 100. A survey of the Cay showed the habitat of the species was generally described as being vulnerable to severe weather and rising sea level, as a result of Bramble Cay’s elevation of only 9.75 feet. In 2008 a survey was done, which concluded that the Bramble Cay melomys were at risk. The report underestimated the seriousness of the risk. A plan was put into place to round up and breed the remaining individuals. That plan wasn’t enacted until 2014, which was 5 years after the last confirmed sighting. The Bramble Cay melomys was the first mammal species to go extinct as a direct result of rising sea levels and increased storm surges caused by more cyclones in that region. According to reports the sea level of that region increased 0.25 inches every year between 1993 - 2010. These factors caused the vegetation on the cay to diminish to a point that the island could no longer support the melomys living there. In 2015 no specimens were found. In June of 2016, Queensland's Department of Environment and Heritage Protection and the University of Queensland filed a report declaring the Bramble Cay melomys extinct. The Australian Government's Department of the Environment and Energy declared it extinct in February of 2019. The United Nations report presented on September 15, 2020 criticized the Australian government because the extinction of the Bramble Cay melomys was “foreseeable and preventable”. An Australia Geographic report said it is possible that there may be a remote population of Bramble Cay melomys in unsurveyed areas of Papua New Guinea around the Fly River delta area, but to date none have been recorded there. Although Jurassic Park is fiction, scientists are working on several de-extinction projects. In fact, in 2003 scientists did bring back the extinct Pyrenean ibex, a type of wild goat, for 7 minutes before it died, showing de-extinction is possible. The Bramble Cay melomys might be a good candidate for this. Scientists would potentially use DNA from preserved museum specimens to bring them back. Australia has made many strides in restoring natural habitats, eliminating invasive species, and helping struggling species to survive into the future. The Bramble Cay melomys could not be returned to Bramble Cay which has been decimated by rising sea levels and increased cyclones. If it was brought to life, could it ever be reintroduced to a different island in Northern Australia?