The dodo was first discovered by the Portuguese around 1506 as they were looking for a trade route connecting Portugal to the East Indies. They were the ones who named it the duodo, simpleton/dumb one. Although the Portuguese stopped by the island of Mauritius on their trade routes for supplies such as fresh water, fruit, and dodo, they did not make the island a permanent colony. Jacob von Neck was the first person to describe the dodo in 1598 when the Dutch began colonizing the island. This was when the population of dodo birds began to decrease at a more rapid rate. The Dutch did use the dodo as a food source, although many accounts said they did not taste great. No one knows exactly what led to the dodo’s demise, but many scientists and historians believe that the introduction of invasive species like rats, snakes, monkeys, and pigs had taken the greatest toll on dodo populations. The dodo was built for an easy, predator-free island existence. They had no fear of humans, often coming to investigate if a person simply knocked on a tree trunk. They were flightless and by most accounts slow. Dodos also built their nests, which usually only contained one egg, on a nest on the ground. This made them easy pickings for the people and the invasive species brought to the island. The combination of being flightless, ground nesting, curious creatures led to their extinction somewhere between 1662 and 1681. 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 dodo might be a candidate. Scientists would potentially use DNA from the one and only specimen of a dodo containing skin. If the dodo was brought to life, could it ever be reintroduced to its native homeland in Mauritius? This very question is wrapped up well by the observations by Ben J. Novak who works with Revive & Restore, a scientific group looking into de-extinction projects like the dodo. Mr. Novak said, “My time in Mauritius was a true crash course in the nation’s proud conservation movement. Mauritius, while having lost the majority of its endemic species, is home to some of the most incredible recovery projects of endangered species anywhere in the world. For example, after having declined to only 12 individuals in 1968, the population of Rodriguez Fody, a small, red-faced songbird, has recovered to over 8,000. Mauritius has pioneered innovative hybrid programs of in situ and ex situ conservation recovery, exemplified by the Mauritius Kestrel recovery; the population has grown from a single female and 3 males in 1974 to over 400 individuals today. And it is one of the first countries to replace an extinct species, the endemic Mauritius Giant Tortoise, with a living ecological surrogate – the Aldabra Giant Tortoise. In essence, Mauritius has already done de-extinction the non-genetic way.” It seems that IF the dodo ever were brought back, the people of Mauritius have already done much to prepare a welcome home party for the dodo.