Great Auk

The Great Auk is a perfect example of a species driven to extinction by human intervention. Being declared extinct in 1844, many reasons caused it to happen. When sailors traversed through the Northern Atlantic and stumbled upon a colony of Great Auks breeding. With their natural enemies larger marine mammals and birds of prey, they had no innate fear of humans. With the large body but small wings that could not carry its own body weight, it was a flightless bird, making it an easy target for humans. Just like penguins, they thrived underwater, feasting on mainly fish but also crustaceans and mollusks. The feathers of the Great Auk were a popular choice for pillows, and given their flightless nature, they went from plentiful to scarce within 3 decades, resulting in an official statement from Britain in 1794 to ban the killings of it. Even with the law on their side, museums and rich collectors made sure to collect the last remains of them, putting the final nail in the coffin in 1844, the year the last Great Auk was seen.