The Extinction Tapes

RADIO 4, 1.45PM

Rob Newman invites us to look at five extinct or almost-extinct species, their unique characteristics, and the role played by humans in their disappearance from the world. In today’s episode there’s a hopeful story: the white-tailed eagle, which hasn’t been recorded in England since 1780, has been preserved in Scotland and reintroduction attempts are ongoing in England. Other species that Newman considers throughout this week include the Yangtze River dolphin, Steller’s sea cow, the Alabama pigtoe mussel and Miss Waldron’s red colobus.