Jurrasic Park Seven: Return of the Dire Wolf

The Dire Wolf is an extinct subspecies of the wolf, known for being significantly more powerful and aggressive than today’s wolf. It went extinct 13,000 years ago, but as of late, scientists were able to recreate its DNA and clone it. This has stirred up massive controversy within the scientific community, as not only does this defy natural extinction, but also sets a strange precedent for recreation of animals in the future.

Dire Wolves are a species that went extinct before human influence caused mass extinctions, so bringing them back has stirred up confusion. The reasoning for this decision stemmed from the relatively large quantity of Dire Wolf DNA accessible to scientists currently.  Not only does that open the opportunity for scientists to recreate other potentially dangerous extinct animals, like saber tooth tigers, dinosaurs, and giant sloths. However, it also poses questions regarding how these animals should be reintroduced into their ecosystem, the Americas. Dire wolves are basically just an upgraded version of today's regular wolves. Not only does this potentially create some danger for humans in their encounters with dire wolves, but it creates an imbalance in the ecosystem. If a predator that can easily dominate an ecosystem is suddenly introduced into that ecosystem, it could shift the very delicate balance that nature needs to be able to survive and thrive.

This restoration of life is not without its merits though. Many animals have died as a result of human anthropogenic growth, thus providing a chance to reduce that. For example, the African White Rhino didn’t die due to any natural reasons, they died because of overhunting. If humans were able to bring back a species of animal that died because of our mistakes, then it’s a way to return ecosystems back to a potentially more natural state. It’s also important to acknowledge the progress the scientific community has made. Just 20 years ago, cloning was a purely theoretical concept, and we had no means of executing it in the slightest. Now there are living dire wolf cubs, and progress is made on reviving Mammoths and Dodos, thanks to recent advances in CRISPR technology.

In the end, the conversation surrounding the ethics of resurrection of extinct animals has no clear solution. There’s valid points on both sides of the argument, and none take precedence over the other. It’s important to acknowledge the slippery slope that comes from de-extinction, as well as the incredible advances made by scientists to make this happen.