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40 Animals that Changed History

Tim Flight November 5, 2019 26 min

Medieval Dogs - Dog — King John of England with his dogs, England, c.1307-27. British Library

22. In the late 19^th century, Tibbles the Cat exterminated the Stephen Island Wren, alerting New Zealanders to their ecological impact

An 1895 depiction of the Stephens Island Wren. Wikimedia Commons

In 1894, David Lyall moved to Stephens Island, just off South Island, New Zealand. While Lyall manned the lighthouse, his cat, Tibbles, went hunting, and always brought back the same type of bird. Intrigued, Lyall sent the birds off to ornithologists, who proclaimed it a new species. Too late: within a year, Tibbles had hunted the Stephens Island Wren to extinction! Evidence has subsequently shown it once lived across New Zealand. Having evolved in a world without predators, it didn’t stand a chance when settlers arrived with cats and dogs. The wren’s extermination alerted New Zealanders to their ecological impact.

Written by

Tim Flight

I am a freelance historical and literary writer based in West Yorkshire, UK. I read for a funded PhD in English at the University of Oxford (Magdalen College) and graduated in 2016. I am a former lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. My publications include peer-reviewed articles in academic publications, and pieces in mainstream magazines such as History Today and Fortean Times. For more information, please see www.drflight.co.uk

40 Animals that Changed History

22. In the late 19^th century, Tibbles the Cat exterminated the Stephen Island Wren, alerting New Zealanders to their ecological impact

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22. In the late 19th century, Tibbles the Cat exterminated the Stephen Island Wren, alerting New Zealanders to their ecological impact

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Weaving Is 34,000 Years Old — Older Than Farming, Writing, or the Wheel

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22. In the late 19^th century, Tibbles the Cat exterminated the Stephen Island Wren, alerting New Zealanders to their ecological impact