When people think of extinction & Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa, they think about the famous dodo. Many other species on Mauritius also went extinct as people colonized the island. The domed Mauritius giant tortoise as well as the related saddle-back Mauritius giant tortoise went extinct around the same time. First discovered by the Portuguese around 1506 as they were looking for a trade route connecting Portugal to the East Indies. Although the Portuguese stopped by the island of Mauritius on their trade routes for supplies such as fresh water, fruit, dodo, and tortoises, they did not make the island a permanent colony. In 1598, the Dutch began colonizing Mauritius. The Dutch did use both species of Mauritius giant tortoises as a food source and said they tasted good. Sailors would also use the tortoises for oil. It took between 400 - 500 tortoises for one barrel of oil. The introduction of invasive species like rats, snakes, monkeys, and pigs ate the eggs of tortoises. It is believed that the domed Mauritius giant tortoise was extinct on Mauritius by the early 1700's. By 1735 it vanished on the other islets. A report from 1884 seemed to say at least one female giant tortoise survived on Round Island, just north of Mauritius, and she even laid eggs, but it is unknown which type she was. 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 domed Mauritius giant tortoise might be a candidate. Scientists would potentially use DNA from museum specimens . If the domed Mauritius giant tortoise was brought to life, could it ever be reintroduced to its native homeland in Mauritius? This very question is wrapped up well by the observations by Ben J. Novak who works with Revive & Restore, a scientific group looking into de-extinction projects like the dodo and Mauritius giant tortoises. Mr. Novak said, “My time in Mauritius was a true crash course in the nation’s proud conservation movement. Mauritius, while having lost the majority of its endemic species, is home to some of the most incredible recovery projects of endangered species anywhere in the world. For example, after having declined to only 12 individuals in 1968, the population of Rodriguez Fody, a small, red-faced songbird, has recovered to over 8,000. Mauritius has pioneered innovative hybrid programs of in situ and ex situ conservation recovery, exemplified by the Mauritius Kestrel recovery; the population has grown from a single female and 3 males in 1974 to over 400 individuals today. And it is one of the first countries to replace an extinct species, the endemic Mauritius Giant Tortoise, with a living ecological surrogate – the Aldabra Giant Tortoise. In essence, Mauritius has already done de-extinction the non-genetic way.” It seems that if giant tortoises ever were brought back, Mauritius has already done much to prepare for its return. In fact many other giant tortoises have brought to Mauritius and neighboring Rodrigues Island much to the joy of tourists who visit those islands. It may not be exactly the way "nature intended it", but adding Aldabra tortoises to the Mauritius ecosystem has restored a species to fulfill the role of seed disperser and fertilizer to the island that was lost when the domed and saddleback Mauritius giant tortoises went extinct.