Saturday Morning

Ben Novak was 14 years old when he decided to dedicate his life to resurrecting extinct animals. Now, aged 35, Novak is a de-extinction biologist with Revive & Restore, an American organisation aiming to enhance biodiversity through the genetic rescue of extinct and endangered species. Novak leads a project to revive the passenger pigeon, a bird once so abundant in the eastern US that its flocks were said to block out the sun. The pigeons died out in captivity in 1914. Novak is part of a growing movement looking to bring about 'de-extinction' of animals, such as the woolly mammoth and Tasmanian tiger. However, some critics say rather than trying to revive species from extinction we should put more effort into saving endangered animals.