I’M prone to a spot of bird watching and a member of the RSPB.
I’m naturally intrigued by recent news of a scheme to bring back from extinction the Great Auk, whose very “aukwardness” contributed to its demise.
It was flightless, a distinct disadvantage if you’re a bird to which hunters are partial.
In fact, the poor creature was in effect rendered a sitting duck and the 1840s signalled its demise.
They were encountered in and around the North Atlantic up to the Arctic Circle, I believe.
Our equivalent of a penguin but not a penguin. It was related to razorbills and guillemots.
Unsurprisingly, this project by a group of scientists in the USA has been tagged with the Jurassic Park label.
It appears that after (and if) this bird is brought back from the dead, the Farne Islands are the favoured location for its reintroduction.
I’m unsure where I stand on this issue with its ramifications. Perhaps such plans should at least be put on hold while we concentrate on threatened species that are still with us.
If this experiment were to proceed may I make a plea that Great Auk Mk 2 is given the power of flight, thereby giving it a better chance than last time?
But I suppose that would defeat the object as it wouldn’t be a fully-fledged Great Auk, which is an “aukward” point.
Then what about the Dodo lobby?
Derek Reed, Middlethorpe Drive, York
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