The Eskimo curlew was once one of the most abundant shorebirds in the Tundra of Alaska and Northern Canada. Its population was in the millions. “Market hunting" was the practice of killing wild birds in great numbers for a food source in the late 1800s. During this time, millions of Eskimo curlews were harvested each year for 11 months of the year. The fact that the Eskimo curlew would come back to investigate wounded members of their flock, made them easy targets. Market hunting was banned in 1909. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed in 1918, but it did little to help the Eskimo curlew population rebound. In 1916, after the extinction of the passenger pigeon & Carolina parakeet, hunting of the Eskimo curlew was banned. These measures seemed to prove too little too late. The last confirmed sighting of this curlew was in Galveston, Texas in 1962. In 1966, the Eskimo curlew was among the first species listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Preservation Act. There have been several unconfirmed sightings since that time with some as recently as 1981. This is why the Eskimo curlew is still listed as critically endangered, although its extinction is likely. Could the Eskimo curlew live in the Americas today? 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 Eskimo curlew would be a good candidate. Scientists would potentially use DNA from the 16 specimens at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC or at many other museums to bring the Eskimo curlew back. The United States has made many strides in protecting endangered species through many initiatives like the US Endangered Species Act of 1972. Since 1972, many species including the American bison, bald eagle, and black-footed ferret have been saved from risk of extinction. Indiscriminate hunting is a thing of the past, as hunting seasons monitor current populations of species. Zoos also have put much more of an emphasis on establishing breeding programs to protect animal populations since the Eskimo curlew went extinct. If the Eskimo curlew ever was brought back from extinction, it seems like it would have a promising future.