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Dodo Bird
- In the year 1598 AD,
Portuguese sailors landing on the shores of the island of Mauritius
discovered a previously unknown species of bird, the Dodo. Having been
isolated by its island location from contact with humanity, the dodo
greeted the new visitors with a child-like innocence. The sailors
mistook the gentle spirit of the dodo, and its lack of fear of the new
predators, as stupidity. They dubbed the bird "dodo" (meaning something
similar to a simpleton in the Portuguese tongue). Many dodo were killed
by the human visitors, and those that survived man had to face the
introduced animals. Dogs and pigs soon became feral when introduced to
the Mauritian eco-system. By the year 1681, the last dodo had died, and
the world was left worse with its passing.
"The Tragedy of the Dodo"
- Copyright 1998, 1999 David Reilly. All Rights Reserved
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