Giant Tortoise

A Fernandina giant tortoise

Galápagos Conservancy

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Creature Comebacks

These animals were missing for years. What happens now that scientists have found them?

As You Read, Think About: Why might wildlife experts want to track down missing animals?

Scientists around the world are on the hunt. They’re combing through forests, inspecting lakes, and searching islands. Their mission? To find lost species that experts haven’t seen in the wild in at least a decade. Some creatures have been missing for more than 100 years.

A group called Re:wild is organizing the search. When the effort began in 2017, the group focused on locating 25 species. Since then, eight have been rediscovered!

Researchers aren’t stopping there. Thousands of species are still missing, and experts are racing to find them. The animals face serious threats, including hunting and habitat loss.

“If we don’t know where they are, we don’t know what their threats are,” Barney Long explains. He’s a scientist at Re:wild. “We don’t know the solution to their conservation.”

Here’s a look at how scientists found three missing animals—and what happens next.

Scientists around the world are on the hunt. They’re combing through forests. They’re also inspecting lakes and searching islands. Their mission? To find lost species that experts haven’t seen in the wild in at least a decade. Some creatures have been missing for more than 100 years.

A group called Re:wild is organizing the search. The search began in 2017. The group focused on finding 25 species. Since then, eight have been rediscovered! 

Researchers aren’t stopping there. Thousands of species are still missing. Experts are racing to find them. The animals face serious threats. These include hunting and habitat loss.

“If we don’t know where they are, we don’t know what their threats are,” Barney Long explains. He’s a scientist at Re:wild. “We don’t know the solution to their conservation.”

Here’s a look at how scientists found three missing animals—and what happens next.

Voeltzkow’s Chameleon

Found In: Madagascar

Missing For: 107 years

 © Thorsten Negro/imageBROKER/Biosphoto

The African country of Madagascar is home to nearly half of the world’s chameleon species. But one type, the Voeltzkow’s (VOHLTZ-kouz) chameleon, had been missing for more than a century.

That changed in 2018. Scientists set out to find the chameleon. Armed with flashlights and headlamps, the team searched high and low. Eventually, a local guide spotted one in a hotel garden.

One of the species’ biggest threats is habitat loss. Humans often chop down trees where the chameleons live. Scientists are working to save the species by protecting the animals and their homes.

Madagascar is a country in Africa. It’s home to nearly half of the world’s chameleon species. But one type had been missing for more than a century. It’s called the Voeltzkow’s (VOHLTZ-kouz) chameleon.

That changed in 2018. Scientists set out to find the chameleon. With flashlights and headlamps, the team searched high and low. Eventually, a local guide spotted one in a hotel garden. 

One of the species’ biggest threats is habitat loss. Humans often chop down trees where the chameleons live. Scientists are working to save the species. They’re protecting the animals and their homes.

Fernandina Giant Tortoise

Found In: Galápagos Islands

Missing For: 113 years

Galápagos Conservancy

For years, experts feared the Fernandina giant tortoise had gone extinct. Among its biggest threats are rats, pigs, and dogs, which eat young tortoises. Long ago, humans hunted the tortoises too.

In 2019, experts on an island in the Pacific Ocean found a sign that the species might be alive—its poop! They searched the area. Before long, they spotted a female Fernandina giant tortoise. Experts think she’s at least 50 years old. (Giant tortoises can live more than 100 years!)

Scientists are searching the region for more of these giant tortoises. They plan to breed the animals, grow the population, and return them to the wild.

Experts feared that the Fernandina giant tortoise had gone extinct. Among its biggest threats are rats, pigs, and dogs. These animals eat young tortoises. Long ago, humans hunted the tortoises too.

In 2019, experts on an island in the Pacific Ocean found a sign that the species might be alive. They saw its poop! Before long, they spotted a female Fernandina giant tortoise. Experts think she’s at least 50 years old. (Giant tortoises can live more than 100 years!)

Scientists are searching the region for more of these giant tortoises. They plan to breed the animals to grow the population. Then they will return the tortoises to the wild.

Silver-Backed Chevrotain

Found In: Vietnam

Missing For: 28 Years

Global Wildlife Conservation

These small deerlike animals live in Vietnam, a country in Asia. Hunters there set traps to catch and kill animals for their meat. They sometimes catch chevrotains (SHEV-roh-taynz).

A few years ago, the creatures were captured by a different type of trap—a camera trap. The camera’s sensors are triggered to take a photo when an animal moves past it. In 2019, experts announced that the cameras had snapped hundreds of photos of silver-backed chevrotains.

Experts are using the images to learn more about the species. Their aim is to persuade locals to stop hunting the animals.

These small deerlike animals live in Vietnam. That’s a country in Asia. Hunters there set traps to catch and kill animals for their meat. They sometimes catch chevrotains (SHEV-roh-taynz).

A few years ago, the creatures were captured by a different type of trap. It was a camera trap. The camera takes a photo when an animal moves past it. In 2019, experts announced that the cameras had snapped hundreds of photos of silver-backed chevrotains. 

Experts are using the photos to learn more about the species. Their aim is to persuade local people to stop hunting the animals.

Map It Out

Scientists’ search for missing species has taken them all over the world. This map shows where these three animals were found.

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

Which animal was found in Vietnam? On which continent is that country located?

Map It Out

Scientists’ search for missing species has taken them all over the world. This map shows where these three animals were found.

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

Which animal was found in Vietnam? On which continent is that country located?

  1. What does the author mean when he or she writes that “researchers aren’t stopping there”? 
  2. What threats have the three animals described in the article faced?
  3. What is a camera trap, according to the article?
  1. What does the author mean when he or she writes that “researchers aren’t stopping there”? 
  2. What threats have the three animals described in the article faced?
  3. What is a camera trap, according to the article?
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