Do you know the 'dodo'?

About 350 years ago, there was a flightless bird. Its name was dodo. The name comes from the Portuguese word 'dodo', meaning 'fool'. This bird, weighing about 23kg, lived on the tiny island of Mauritius, just off the island of Madagascar in Africa. Because it lived only on the island, it didn't need to fly even though it was a winged bird. It had been so long since it flew that its wings were just decorations.

The dodo lived peacefully on the island of Mauritius until it met humans for the first time around 1505. In the 16th century, the Age of Discovery began in Europe, and the Portuguese set foot in Africa. They also visited the island of Mauritius, where the dodo lived. Humans became very interested in the dodo, which had wings that were more like arms than wings and couldn't fly. Eventually, their interest led to hunting.

The dodo's plump body seemed like a good food source for hungry sailors, and the dodo began to be hunted by humans. Furthermore, the Dutch people began to use the island of Mauritius as a prison, and exotic species began to be introduced along with humans. Exotic species such as rats, goats, and monkeys attacked the dodo and stole its nests. With the introduction of exotic species and human's indiscriminate hunting, the dodo became extinct in 1681, about 100 years after it met humans.

Recently, there was news that a project to restore the dodo is underway. Scientists at UC Santa Cruz and Colossal Biosciences announced that they will be using DNA extracted from a dodo specimen at a museum to carry out the dodo restoration project. If an animal that became extinct about 4 centuries ago is restored, it is likely to increase the possibility of restoring other extinct animals. However, some people are questioning the restoration of extinct animals. They argue that even if extinct animals are restored, they won't be able to create animals that are exactly the same as the previous dodos. Furthermore, they are concerned that ethical and practical problems will arise as a result of restoring extinct animals. Some people say it is right to restore animals that have become extinct by human hands, while others say that more effort should be put into preserving animals that are on the brink of extinction rather than extinct animals.

Recently, Starbucks Korea released MD featuring the dodo. It was a collaboration between artist Kim Seon-woo, who has been drawing the dodo, and Starbucks Korea. The MD's design, which uses embroidery to express the dodo in various colors to feel the warmth in the cold winter, has a Korean feel while also being able to feel the beauty of the dodo.

Restoration projects of other extinct animals, such as the dodo, are also continuing. It remains to be seen whether the extinct animal restoration project will be successful.