(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

Logo: TVO Kids News.

Daniel walks in the studio.

Daniel is in his twenties, with short curly brown hair and wears glasses, jeans and a burgundy and white TVO Kids hooded sweatshirt.

He says WELCOME BACK TO
TVOK NEWS.
NOW, ON NEW YEAR'S DAY,
THE WORLD LOST
A VERY SPECIAL CREATURE.
HE WAS ONLY THE SIZE
OF A THUMB NAIL,
AND HE LIVED BY HIMSELF IN A
GLASS TERRARIUM IN HAWAII.

On a screen behind him appears a picture of a snail with a caption that reads "Goodbye George."

Daniel says HIS NAME WAS GEORGE, AND HE WAS
A 14 YEAR OLD LAND SNAIL.
WHAT MADE GEORGE SPECIAL
WAS THAT HE WAS
THE VERY LAST OF HIS SPECIES...
ACHATINELLA APEXFULVA.
WITH THE DEATH OF GEORGE,
THAT SPECIES IS NOW EXTINCT.
A COUPLE OF CENTURIES AGO,
IN THE 1700'S,
THERE WERE OVER
750 VARIETY OF SNAILS
IN HAWAII, ALONE.
WHEN NON-NATIVE EXPLORERS
ARRIVED IN HAWAII,
THEY DESCRIBED SEEING SNAILS
HANGING OFF TREES
AND BUSHES IN THE HUNDREDS.
JUST LIKE BERRIES.
BUT BY THE EARLY 1900'S,
MANY OF THESE SPECIES WERE
ALREADY EXTINCT DUE TO
PEOPLE COLLECTING THEM
FOR THEIR SHELLS.
THEN, IN THE 1950'S,
A PREDATOR SNAIL WAS
INTRODUCED TO HAWAII.
THE WOLF SNAIL WAS
BROUGHT IN TO CONTROL
THE GIANT AFRICAN SNAIL.
THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE
WOLF SNAIL, INSTEAD,
ATE LOTS OF OTHER
SPECIES OF SNAILS,
INCLUDING GEORGE'S SPECIES.
THAT, COMBINED WITH
HABITAT DESTRUCTION
AND THE EFFECTS OF
CLIMATE CHANGE,
HAS CAUSED THE EXTINCTION OF
HUNDREDS OF SPECIES
OF LAND SNAILS.
GEORGE'S PARENTS WERE PART
OF A GROUP OF SNAILS,
BROUGHT INTO LABORATORIES TO
TRY TO PRESERVE THEM.
GEORGE WAS BORN IN THE LAB
AND SOON BECAME THE ONLY
SURVIVOR OF THE GROUP.
HERE'S A SILVER LINING THOUGH.
SCIENTIST HAVE PRESERVED A TINY
PART OF GEORGE'S FOOT.
IT'S BEING STORED IN
A DEEP FREEZER,
IN THE HOPE THAT ONE DAY
WE'LL HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY
TO CLONE A SNAIL.
HOW COOL IS THAT?
WELL, STAY TUNED, BECAUSE WE'VE
GOT A LOT MORE
TVOK NEWS
COMING UP NEXT.

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

Logo: TVO Kids News.