Mark Carwardine travelled to Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, where one museum collector is currently at work. We now know that the greatest threat to the world's wildlife is habitat destruction. Beneath this modern day paradise lies a tragic story, the loss of an ecosystem that was once home to its most famous resident, the now extinct dodo. As a zoologist I was keen to come and meet museum scientist Julian Hume, who spent much of his life collecting here and uncovering the island's secrets. Well Julian, it's amazing driving through mile after mile of these sugar cane plantations. It's really hard to imagine what Mauritius might have been like at the time of the dodo. Well, since the dodo's gone from this place, it's just changed beyond recognition. It's just unbelievable. This was once covered in ebony forest, palm trees. What a sight that would have been, and now we're just left with this monoculture of sugar cane. It's just dreadful, to be honest.


马克·卡沃丁曾远行到位于印度洋的毛里求斯，而如今，他就在那从事博物馆集物者的工作。 如今，我们知道野生动物所面临的最大威胁就是栖息地的毁灭，这个现代天堂的背后，却有一段悲剧的过往，又称毛里求斯渡渡鸟，孤鸽仅产于印度洋毛里求斯岛的一种不会飞的鸟。曾几何时，这里以渡渡鸟之乡闻名。后因生态环境破坏，渡渡鸟现已灭绝。 作为一名动物学家，我曾殷切希望与博物馆学家朱利安·休谟会面，他耗尽毕生精力在此收集自然物种，试图揭开这座岛屿的秘密。 朱利安，开车穿过这一望无际的甘蔗地，感觉真好。真难以想象，渡渡鸟灭绝之前，毛里求斯是一副什么模样。 自从渡渡鸟灭绝后，这里变得面目全非了，很不可思议曾经这里长满了乌木林、棕榈树，难以想象那副景象。而现在，这里唯一的作物就是甘蔗。说实话，这很可怕。