Extinct or Alive

Notable case findings

During filming in 2018, a camera trap on Unguja Island captured apparent footage of a Zanzibar leopard. The animal appeared smaller than mainland specimens and had smaller, more solid spots than typical African leopards. Further investigations are planned to confirm whether this is a Zanzibar leopard and whether a viable population still exists. While shooting a Shark Week special on Sri Lanka, Forrest's wife Jessica discovered two deceased sharks killed by fishermen. One was a bull shark, but DNA testing of the second suggested it could be a Pondicherry shark, a species unseen since 1979. Some regional experts are confident the shark is a Pondicherry shark, though additional molecular confirmation is needed. In February 2019, while filming Season 2 on the remote Galápagos Islands chain, the team discovered a single female Fernandina Island Galápagos tortoise, presumed extinct since 1906. Members of the Turtle Conservancy later analyzed the findings, stating that pending genetic confirmation, the photos almost undoubtedly show the lost animal. The tortoise was in good health but underweight and was transported to the Fausto Llerena Tortoise Breeding Center on Isla Santa Cruz for conservation and genetic tests. Trace evidence indicated more individuals likely exist in the wild, and new searches were planned to find a male. As shown in the episode, Washington Tapia-Aguilera, a biologist at the Galapagos Conservancy and director of the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative, was the one who actually found the tortoise. While shooting Season 2 in Zimbabwe in 2019, the team collected DNA samples from an abnormally large lion. Analysis showed the male had 14% different DNA from a typical African lion, suggesting it may carry remnant genetics from the Cape lion population, which went extinct in the 1800s. The team theorizes that continued breeding might one day bring back a pure Cape lion.