Sadly, YES. Species are disappearing today at many times the natural rate, and those that are featured in Lost & Found are just the few for which we have been lucky enough to get a second chance at saving. In fact, most of the species featured on this webpage are still depending on conservation efforts to survive. Only by decreasing our impact in the environment can we ensure those species stick around.
To select which stories are included we used the following criteria. First, the rediscoveries have to have happened at least 33 years after the last sighting of the species. Our choice of 33 years is largely symbolic as it’s about the duration of a human generation. Second, we look for stories that have a strong inspirational or surprising angle, that not only attract readers but also showcase the tenacity and passion of those that always believed those pieces of nature were not lost forever. After all, what would be of nature conservation without the passion and curiosity of conservationists?
There are possibly several hundreds of stories of species rediscoveries and we can’t include them all (but we are working on it!). We would of course love to hear from you if you have a suggestion! Just drop us a line using the “get in touch” form on the top left.
We are always looking for new stories, and would love to hear from you. We are keen to have first person accounts of how the events unfolded to feature on our blog so please do get in touch through the “get in touch” form on the top left, with a brief summary of how it happened!