Concept
A species that is extinct in the wild (EW) is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as known only by living members kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range due to massive habitat loss. Examples of species and subspecies that are extinct in the wild include: Alagoas curassow (last unconfirmed sighting reported in the late 1980s, listed extinct in the wild since 1994) Beloribitsa La Palma pupfish (last seen in 1994, listed extinct in the wild since 1996) Christmas Island blue-tailed skink (listed extinct in the wild since 2014) Dabry's sturgeon (listed extinct in the wild since 2022) Escarpment cycad (listed extinct in the wild since 2006) Franklinia (last seen in 1803, listed extinct in the wild since 1998) Golden skiffia (listed extinct in the wild since 1996) Guam kingfisher (listed extinct in the wild since 1986) Hawaiian crow or ʻalalā (last seen in 2002, listed as extinct in the wild since 2004) Small groups have since been released in 2017 and 2018. Kihansi spray toad (listed extinct in the wild since 2009) Lister's gecko (listed extinct in the wild since 2014) Oahu deceptor bush cricket (listed extinct in the wild since 1996) Panamanian golden frog (possibly extinct in the wild) Père David's deer (listed extinct in the wild since 2008. However, reintroduction from captive populations began in 1985, with 53 wild herds of varying sizes being recorded in 2003) Scimitar oryx (listed extinct in the wild since 2000. A herd of 21 was successfully released into the wild in Chad in 2016, producing the first offspring born in the wild in over 20 years in 2017) Socorro dove (listed extinct in the wild since 1994) Socorro isopod (last seen in 1988, listed as extinct in the wild since August 1996) South China tiger (since 2008 IUCN Red List lists as critically endangered; possibly extinct in the wild) Spix's macaw (listed extinct in the wild since June 2019) Wyoming toad (listed extinct in the wild since 1991, although 853 have been released into the wild since 1995, leading to a population of around 1,500 in 2017) The Pinta Island tortoise (Geochelone nigra abingdoni) had only one living individual, named Lonesome George, until his death in June 2012.