DoDo Bird

(Raphus cucullatus)

In the year 1598 AD, Portuguese sailors landing on the shores of the island of Mauritius discovered a previously unknown species of bird, the Dodo. Having been isolated by its island location from contact with humanity, the dodo greeted the new visitors with a child-like innocence. The sailors mistook the gentle spirit of the dodo, and its lack of fear of the new predators, as stupidity. They dubbed the bird "dodo" (meaning something similar to a simpleton in the Portuguese tongue). Many dodo were killed by the human visitors, and those that survived man had to face the introduced animals. Dogs and pigs soon became feral when introduced to the Mauritian eco-system. By the year 1681, the last dodo had died, and the world was left worse with its passing.

The dodo bird, historically, has been viewed as a rather plump bird, weighing approximately 20-23 kilograms. Grey in colour, the dodo is quite distinct from the solitaire (a relative of the dodo which lived on the island of Reunion.) The dodo had a large, hooked beak, and a plume of white feathers adorned the rear of the dodo. What distinguishes the dodo from many other birds is not just its size, but that it was flightless. Despite its large build, the dodo had small, weak wings which could not lift it into the air. Thus it was easy prey to the Portuguese invaders who would club the bird to death as it approached them seeking friendship. Few bones or relics remain of the dodo today. Without complete skeletons, it is impossible to estimate the true size of the dodo bird. While modern estimates range from around twenty to twenty-three kilograms, initial portraits of the bird show a much slimmer creature. Work has been done by museum curator Andrew Kitchener, which suggest that the dodo could have been as light as between thirteen and seventeen kilograms. By analysing dodo bones, he has come up with a prediction that shows the dodo wasn't a fat plump bird at all. Our opinions had been based around European portraits of the bird. These may have been a romanticized version of the truth, or those dodo removed from their natural environment may have been fattened up. The nests of the dodo bird were, by necessity, built on the ground as the bird was flightless. The dodo's young were afforded little protection on the ground against introduced predators, such as the feral dogs and wild pigs left behind by sailors. Dodo eggs were trampled and eaten by such creatures, and the ability to repopulate the species after hunting of the bird was seriously affected. While the dodo had existed for centuries or more in the natural Mauritian environment, the impact of mankind through hunting and the introduction of new predators placed too great a strain upon the dodo. Soon it was lost to the world.

The tragedy of the dodo highlights the potential effects mankind can have upon the environment, and the ease with which humanity can disrupt the delicate balance of an ecosystem by eradicating whole species. As one of the earliest examples of modern ecovandalism, the impact of the Portuguese sailors on Mauritius not only wiped out the famous dodo, but further disrupted nature in unexpected ways. The Mauritian "calvaria"tree, soon after the dodo bird became extinct, stopped sprounting seeds, and it appeared it would soon face extinction itself. While it was not initially apparent, the calvaria would only sprout seeds after having been eaten and digested by the dodo bird. Some scientists disagree on the connection between dodo and calvaria, but others believe that the dodo played an integral part in the spreading of calvaria seeds. Turkeys have been given seeds to digest, and it is believed they can perform a similar role. This story serves to highlight the dangerous implications of animal extinction, and why humanity must work to safeguard the environment and nature. The bio-diversity of our world must be protected, both for current and future generations. The dodo was such a unique species of bird, that some three centuries later, it is still remembered as a symbol of the harm mankind can bring to the environment. As the memory of the dodo and the legacy of ecovandalism lives on, we must not forget to take heed of such a warning - particularly as more and more species are brought to the point of extinction.