Polynesians first arrived in the Hawaiian Islands around 400 A.D. They did have an effect on the native wildlife. They cleared forests to make their farms and villages. The animals they brought with them, such as mongooses, dogs, rats, and chickens, took an even greater toll of native birds because many birds nested on the ground and had no fear of predators. In fact, Hawaii only had one mammal, the Hawaiian hoary bat. The first Hawaiians did hunt the colorful birds to create elaborate feather cloaks and hats that showed a chief's status, but the po’ouli was not colorful. In fact, the po’ouli wasn’t discovered until 1974 and was deemed “the mystery bird” because it had avoided detection from people until that time. There were only 150 - 200 individual birds remaining at the time of its discovery. It is not known what led to the collapse of the remaining population, but is probably a mix of avian diseases and invasive species like pigs that have caused many Hawaiian birds to go extinct. In 1903 the Forest Reserve Act was created to protect the forests and rivers on the island. In 1907, the Hawaiian Territorial Legislature passed a law to protect all native perching birds. In 1975, the po’ouli was added to the Endangered Species list. From 1975 - 2004, efforts were made to save the po’ouli. The po’ouli lived on the steep, wet mountain slopes of Haleakalā in Maui. As the population dropped in the 1990’s, scientists tried to capture the remaining birds in an effort to relocate them closer to one another. When one of the last female’s was captured and placed in a known male’s range, she simply returned back to her section of the mountain. Between 1997-1998, the final three individuals were banded and DNA samples were taken. Scientists were still hopeful that the birds would breed. In 2004, it was decided to capture the remaining birds for a captive breeding program. The last individual, an elderly, one-eyed male, was captured in September of 2004. After a battle with health issues, the last known po’ouli died on November 6, 2004. This honeycreeper was officially declared extinct in 2021 by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 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 po’ouli could be a candidate. Scientists could use the DNA samples taken from the last three individuals in the 1990’s. These samples were taken more recently and preserved with modern techniques, so it could be an option. DNA could also be used from the preserved last individual that died on November 6, 2004. Many efforts are still being made in Hawaii today. Since the failed wild breeding of the po’ouli, scientists have begun captive breeding programs for several endangered Hawaiian birds with success. There have also been efforts to eradicate invasive species from the environment. Scientists have also been working to control avian diseases and thwart the avian malaria that has affected so many species in Hawaii. If the po’ouli was brought back from extinction, could it survive in its native homeland of Hawaii?