extinct in the wild

[ik-stingkt in thuh-wahyld]

adjective

Biology, Ecology.

1. (of a plant or animal species) having members growing or living only as a naturalized population or in captivity, but having no known members growing or living independently in a natural habitat, as categorized by the IUCN Red List: EW

   After observing a herd of Père David deer on a reserve in China, we learned that the species is extinct in the wild.

Word History and Origins

Origin of extinct in the wild¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

With it went the cave roach, which is now extinct in the wild.

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Now the delta smelt is functionally extinct in the wild, the species preserved only through a state and federal hatchery program, the success of which is uncertain.

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It is estimated the species, found in forested areas of Kenya, could be extinct in the wild within two decades after years of poaching.

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While he says he does like being around them for “selfish reasons,” the animals reside in Southern California because they’re either extinct in the wild or so endangered that poachers pose a critical risk to the remaining population.

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"With numbers having declined so rapidly in the wild, and the species now teetering on the edge of existence in Iran, it’s sadly very possible that onagers could become extinct in the wild within our lifetime," added Mr Jordan.

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