Gardiner's giant mite was once found on the island of Mahé in the Seychelles Islands. The only specimens ever collected were found in the native jungle forests at an elevation over 1,200 feet. In 1909, two male and two female specimens were collected. The Gardiner’s giant mite was first formally described three years later in 1912. Nothing was recorded of its habits. Rediscovery efforts for the Gardiner’s giant mites were made in 2002 and in 2011-2012, but no specimens could be found. It was formally declared extinct in 2014. Because nothing was recorded about its behavior or life cycle, it is difficult to determine the exact cause or timing of its extinction. The main theory is that the introduction of Cinnamomum verum, the cinnamon tree, may have been the culprit. In the 1600’s and 1700’s, the European battle for the Spice Islands was in full swing. The Dutch had a monopoly on much of the area. In 1756, the French claimed the islands of Mauritius. In 1772, Pierre Poivre, the administrator of Mauritius came up with a plan to smuggle out seeds of cloves, nutmeg, pepper, and the coveted cinnamon tree. Mahé’s soil proved the perfect place to plant these spices. Much of the jungle forests were cleared to make room for these profitable spices. The French set up their own “spice island” on Mahé, and the native wildlife was a secondary concern. It may be that the specimens of Gardiner’s giant mite collected in 1909 at higher elevations were some of the last remaining individuals of the species. In any case, they were the last of their kind ever observed by people. 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 Gardiner’s giant mite would not be a good candidate unless scientists could find the original specimens and extract DNA. The Seychelles Islands have made conservation efforts through organizations like the Island Conservation Society. One current point of the focus is increasing the efficiency of rat control around the seabird colonies on Desroches to improve the wedge-tail shearwater population. There have been other projects like the elimination of the invasive big-headed ant and the protection of the endangered sheath-tailed bat. The elimination of invasive species and protection of native wildlife has helped many of the islands’ ecosystems, but the Gardiner’s giant mite’s kryptonite, cinnamon, is still being grown on Mahé. If the Gardiner’s giant mite was brought to life, could it ever be reintroduced to its native homeland on Mahé in the Seychelles Islands?