Newly Discovered 17th Century Document Described Now-Extinct Mauritian Wildlife

The extinct Raven Parrot and Echo Parakeet. Image by Photo credit: Julian Hume/London Natural History Museum When the Dutch colonized the island of Mauritius back in the 17^th century, sailors brought with them a variety of pets and animals as carry-ons, like cats, rats and monkeys. Unadapted to these new predators, local animals would have been profoundly affected by their introduction. Dodos, for example, were wiped out within just 90 years of the arrival of the Dutch. Unfortunately, there exist few detailed descriptions of the Mauritian ecosystem prior to Dutch occupation, except of settlers jotting down which animals were easiest to catch.

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