Because there were no natural predators for the dodo, it was easy prey for humans.
The dodo was killed for food and sport by sailors and settlers, and its numbers quickly decreased.
Humans also introduced invasive animals to Mauritius, including pigs, monkeys, and rats, which preyed on dodo eggs and chicks.
Some scientists believe that dodo's slow reproductive rate could not quickly replace its population when it was hunted or its habitat was destroyed.
Unfortunately, by the late 17th century, the dodo was assumed to have been extinct.
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