In October 2024, three dire wolf pups were born in a successful de-extinction project helmed by Colossal Biosciences, located in Dallas, Texas. The pups include two boys, Romulus and Remus, and a girl named Khaleesi. While many people might think dire wolves only exist in the world of “Game of Thrones,” they extensively roamed North and South Americas more than 10,000 years ago – making their resurrection a significant milestone for the entire scientific community.
Now, Colossal scientists have moved to their next step in de-extinction, with future missions seeking to bring back the Wooly Mammoth, the Dodo, and the Tasmanian Tiger. However, lost amongst the excitement of seeing these animals roam the earth once more is the fact that these extinct creatures can have extremely harmful effects on the environment and ecosystem. If these scientists continue to bring back long-fallen animals from beyond the grave, they need to take into account the real world impact they will have on the world at large.
Reviving an extinct species is scientifically impressive, but it doesn’t actually serve the good of humanity. Dire wolves should not simply be released into the wild: they could act as an invasive species, disrupting multiple existing ecosystems along with other species populations. If dire wolves are incompatible with living in the wild, it would completely ruin the whole purpose of their resurrection. They would be contained in cages at a zoo where they would be treated like any other ordinary animal, solely for human entertainment.
Another issue with the Colossal Biosciences de-extinction program is the fact that “dire wolves” is something of a misnomer for these animals. Outside biologists, like Vincent Lynch of the University at Buffalo, say that the three dire wolf pups are superficially made to look like the extinct animals – they don’t represent a true resurrection in the manner that Colossal is claiming. Similarly, Victoria Gill from BBC News states, “while the young wolves – Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi – represent an impressive technological breakthrough, independent experts say they are not actually dire wolves.”
When you consider the specific steps taken by Colossal scientists while creating these animals — modifying cells from a living gray wolf to imbue traits like white hair and a muscular jaw — it’s easy to see that these animals are really just a visual representation of what mankind believes a dire wolf ought to look like. And what purpose does that serve, in the end?
Another issue with de-extinction is the lack of consideration for how these animals are supposed to survive in a drastically different version of earth. “Because we’ve been changing our world so rapidly, a de-extinguished species won’t be restored to its former ecosystem, but to a different, sometimes radically different, ecosystem,” argues Llester, a contributor to the Ecological Society of America. Climate change, habitat loss, and pollution are all major factors that have exploded while the dire wolves were away, and drastically lowered their survival rate.
To get a good idea of how a lack of dire wolves might have caused herbivores across America to change their diet and ecosystem, we can look at a similar case concerning gray wolves.
In 1995, 41 gray wolves: a cousin of the dire wolves, were reintroduced to the nation’s first national park, Yellowstone. Their population declined after being hunted by farmers who wanted to protect their livestock led to a significant change in vegetation and other aspects of the ecosystem.
During this period of time, the absence of wolves led to an increased population of elk disrupting vegetation, and even landscape. According to National Geographic, “[The elk] overgraze the entire park, upsetting the natural balance of the ecosystem. Mammals like mice and rabbits could not use the plants to hide from predators, and their populations fell dramatically… With the apex predators gone, [the elk] gorged themselves faster than the shrubs could grow and gathered in great herds on the lush river banks.” The herds were so massive that they actually eroded the riverbanks with their colossal hooves – showcasing just how substantial the impact of extinction can be on both the food chain and the environment itself.
Human negligence is the key reason why dire wolf de-extinction could have unforeseen consequences: dire wolves would not only struggle to survive in the new habitat, but they would undoubtedly disrupt food chains and hunting patterns for any wildlife they might come across. Without a habitat to return to, their only real purpose would be for human entertainment and hubris.
In addition to their ecological impact, reborn dire wolves may also become a safety hazard if they are returned without care. Individuals also see these infant dire wolves as completely harmless and majestic for the time being, yet nobody knows what they might look like However, no one knows about the long term effects of it. At the age of six months, the dire wolf pups are nearly 4 feet long and weigh around 80 pounds!
De-extinction is without a doubt a marvel of scientific progress: an achievement of biology that may allow us to repopulate the world’s ecosystems, and correct some of our gravest mistakes as a species. Yet, this exciting new technology also poses a threat if handled unwisely – raising a variety of ecological and ethical concerns. Unless mankind is willing to devote an enormous amount of resources to caring for and monitoring an entire new species in the wild, de-extinction will always remain a flawed branch of science.
