Friday 31 July 2020

Extinction

"Write two connected haikus on an extinct animal". But once I started reading about all the extinct animals I couldn't limit myself to one, so here are six double haikus on six fascinating animals from the past, distant and more recent.

Wooly mammoth last roamed 10000 years ago, extinct through climate change and possibly being hunted

Ice age art muse
Adorning cave dwellings
Tusks as canvases

Grass munching
Fur covered behemoth
Mammoth, literally



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Dodo flightless bird of Mauritius hunted to extinction within 70 years of discovery

No need to fly
Content on it's Island
Then we came along

Hunted for dinner
By man and their animals
No hope to survive



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Stellers Sea Cow hunted to extinction within 27 years of discovery. Relative of manatee.

Stellers Sea Cow
Complex communication
Social animal

Easy source of food
Hunted to extinction
Within three decades



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The final Great Auk were killed in Scotland because they were believed to be witches causing storms

The Great Auk
Unconnected to penguins
Genus Pinguinus

Thought to be witches
Causing devastating storms
Killed by Scotsmen



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Baiji White Dolphin, also called the Chinese River Dolphin - none have been seen in the Yangtze River since 2002

Baiji White Dolphin
Goddess of protection
Unprotected

Human action
Industrial advancement
Rapid extinction



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West African Black Rhinoceros was declared extinct in 2011

Western black rhino
Poached for their horn alone
Complete tragedy

Tragic trading
For Chinese medicine
Caused extinction



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Photos and facts provided by one kind planet https://onekindplanet.org/to…/top-10-worlds-extinct-animals/

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