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 Mascarene coot was one of them. 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. The race to find a successful trade route to the East Indies led to the colonization of the Mascarene Islands. Ships could gather fresh fruit, water, and animals during their voyages. In 1598, the Dutch began colonizing Mauritius. The French first arrived in Réunion in June of 1638. They officially claimed the island for France in 1642. The Dutch abandoned Mauritius and it was claimed by the French in September of 1715, which was after the assumed extinction of the Mascarene coot. The introduction of invasive species like rats, snakes, monkeys, and pigs was probably not as problematic for the Mascarene coot as it was for many other Mascarene species since the coots spent most of their time in water. Overhunting was the likely culprit. Between 1665 and 1667, the population of Mascarene coots went from, “the river basin [at Saint-Gilles] was covered in geese and water-hens” to François Martin’s account two years later in 1667 that, “We saw neither geese nor water-hens on the Etang de St Paul which was formerly covered in them.” The Mascarene coot could fly, though it often chose not to do so. That is how they could make it to other Mascarene Islands. The last account of a Mascarene coot was on Mauritius in 1693. There, destruction of the marshlands and overhunting were thought to have been the leading factors of decline. 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 Mascarene coot is probably not a good candidate, because no soft tissue or feathers from these birds remains. There are a few subfossils that have been found in the Mare aux Songes swamp in Mauritius. If the Mascarene coot was brought to life, could it ever be reintroduced to its native homeland in the Mascarene Islands? 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 the Mascarene coot was ever brought back, Mauritius has already done much to prepare for its return.