The Mexican Dace was a ray-finned fish native to Mexico. Increased agriculture and water resource demands caused the Mexican Dace’s habitat to dry up, leading to its extinction in 1983.
The Baiji, or Yangtze River Dolphin, was a white-finned dolphin species in Eastern China. It was driven to extinction by hunting, pollution, and habitat loss caused by construction and industrialization. The last known Baiji died in 2002.
The Javan Lapwing was a long-legged bird native to Java, Indonesia. Its population was severely affected by human disturbance and destruction of its habitat and worsened by hunting pressure. The Javan Lapwing was last seen in 1940.
The Silver Trout was a species of trout native to the Northeastern United States. It was driven to extinction in 1939 by overfishing and other human-introduced fish species that competed for its food sources.
“What’s so powerful about these tattoos is they’re not just spreading our mission for a day, or a week, or a month…” said Captain Paul Watson, Founder of Sea Shepherd. “These tattoos will last a lifetime. Every person with an Extinct Ink design is carrying our impact on the ocean with them as a reminder to all of us about what can happen if we don’t protect marine life.”
Each individual meets around 10,000 people in life. 10,000 opportunities to educate and wake up about the extinct species. The campaign will also be echoed in several friends’ tattoo studios, inviting individuals to become lifelong ambassadors for the species of the ocean by bringing back an extinct sea animal.