It is always tragic when humans in avertedly cause an animal to become extinct, whether because we didn’t know how limited the population was, destroying habitats or releasing animals that the ecosystem isn’t prepared for. What is intolerable, however, is when a species is rare and humans actively wipe the majority out.
Classification: Pigeons & Doves
Choiseul Crested Pigeon (Yowies Forgotten Friends Series A by Cadbury)
The age of Imperialism truly wrecked the ecosystems of the world. Of all of these, island ecosystems were the most at risk, as the animals there were often unique and unable to deal with humanity and the creatures that often accompanied them. The island of Choiseul in the Solomon islands is one such example, as it was once home to the spectacular Choiseul Crested Pigeon, a relative of doves that was endemic only to Choiseul.
Dodo and Coelurosauravus (Primeval by Character Options)
Dodo (Yowies Forgotten Friends Series A by Cadbury)
The Dodo has quite the reputation among extinct animals, but the image has always been a bit skewed. Most portarits are based either on third or fourth hand accounts, and most European depictions are from obese specimens kept by gentry that didn’t know how to care for them properly. Modern skeletal analysis now shows it was sleek, brown and quite aggressive.
Dodo, pair (Noah’s Pals by Caboodle! Toys LLC)
If something is “as dead as a Dodo”, it is very dead, gone forever, reflecting on the fate of said animal, the Dodo. From the island of Mauritius, these flightless pigeons roamed the land, eating fruit and shellfish and lacking fear. Then man came along and introduced new predators, ones that Dodo’s lacked, and soon they were gone from their native lands, never to return.
Dove, pair (Noah’s Pals by Caboodle! Toys LLC)
Whatever your stance on religion, it is hard to deny the impact that the story of Noah has had on animal welfare and conservation. Zoos have been named in his honour, and peace symbols based on animals in his story. In the mid 2000’s it also inspired a toy line, Noah’s Pals, where animals are packed two-by-two and numbers based on their conservation status, educating children in a fascinating way.
Eternal Lost Breeds, Extinct animal (Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.)
Despite the progress we have made as a species, there is one fact we cannot change: extinction is forever. As a result of our hubris, many spectacular species have been wiped from the face of the earth. Takara have created quite an exquisite set, showing a selection of the species that have been lost of the centuries, each with a stand stating scientific names and year of extinction.
Spinifex Pigeon (Yowies Series 4 by Cadbury)
When I first introduced the Yowies to the Blog, I started with a relatively recent figure from the US-based Yowie Group. Today we are going back to the Yowies’ Australian roots, when they were still being produced by Cadbury. Specifically, we will be looking at the spinifex pigeon (Geophaps plumifera) from Series 4.
Domestic Pigeon (Unknown Company)
Review and images by stargatedalek; edited by bmathison1972
Not long ago I received an eBay coupon as a consolation prize in one of their contests. Unsure what to spend it on, I remembered seeing some surprisingly impressive birds made using a plastic base with real feathers attached and decided to see if they were in fact any higher in quality than the equivalents I once had from many a local dollar store.
Dodo (Wild Animals by Papo)
Dodo (Wings of the World by by Safari Ltd.)
The demise of the dodo bird is probably the most famous extinction event in recent history. This ancient Columbiform bird was a flightless species endemic to the small island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Africa near Madagascar, and occupied the island since at least the Holocene era.