Extinct in the Wild

Extinct in the Wild (EW) is a conservation status given to a species, a group of plants or animals, when the only known living members are being kept in captivity (kept in a zoo or aquarium, or planted in pots), or they are no longer living in their normal habitat.

Picture showing Extinct in the Wild with other IUCN categories.

Conservation status by IUCN Red List category
Extinct
Extinct (EX) Extinct in the Wild (EW)	(list) (list)
Threatened
Critically Endangered (CR) Endangered (EN) Vulnerable (VU)	(list) (list) (list)
Lower Risk
Near Threatened (NT) Conservation Dependent (CD) Least Concern (LC)	(list) (list)
Other categories
Data Deficient (DD) Not Evaluated (NE)	(list)
Related topics International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) IUCN Red List NatureServe status Lists of organisms by population
Comparison of Red list classes above and NatureServe status below

Species examples

Examples of such animals include:

• Abingdon Island Tortoise
• Red-tailed Black Shark
• Père David's Deer
• Barbary Lion (extinct in the wild since 1922)
• Wyoming Toad (extinct in the wild since 1991)
• Hawaiian Crow (extinct in the wild since 2002)
• Alagoas Curassow (extinct in the wild since 1987 or 1988)
• Socorro Dove (extinct in the wild since 1972)
• Guam Rail (extinct in the wild since 1980)
• Black Soft-shell Turtle
• Butterfly Goodeid
• Guam kingfisher
• Kihansi spray toad
• Northern White Rhinoceros
• Partula
• Scimitar Oryx
• Spix's Macaw

Reintroduction

Reintroduction is the release of species back into the wild. They come from captivity or moved from other areas where the species survives. It usually involves species that are endangered or extinct in the wild.

It is very hard to reintroduce EW species into the wild, even if their natural habitats were fixed. The main reason may be that the survival skills, which are passed from parents to offspring during parenting, are lost. In other words, the genetics of the species are saved, but the natural skills of the species are lost.