Set up like a traditional funeral, with a grave, a coffin, eulogies and large photos of the animal in various stages of its life cycle. The speakers could be biologists who give mini-lectures about the animal and its evolutionary history and climate experts who can explain why they died out. The gravestones could be giant stone sculptures of the animal, with the lifespan of its species’ existence written in place of the “Born - Died” years, maybe with lots of other info carved into it for posterity, like its home regions, mating and familial behaviours, etc. Maybe local politicians could [be shamed to] attend. Maybe even celebrities who could come and sing or whatever.
A “wake” could be held before or after, where we can mingle with the experts and chat about their respective fields while we get drunk. Charities and green activist groups could fundraise amongst the revellers. Kids could draw or dress up as the animal for a competition. Basically anything fun for everyone who might come.
A celebration of the creature, and a hopeful plan for how to prevent further extinctions. And a party, because no cunt wants to go to an actual funeral where everyone’s miserable and hopeless, certainly not if that’s all that’s planned for the event.
If all over the world, we agreed to do this on the same day, it could have an impact. The graveyards of lost lifeforms would remain a constant reminder, and its sadly ever-growing cohort would show everyone who sees it how fucked things are getting.
/cope
Only counting known species, about 200-2000 go extinct each year. But the number could be an order of magnitude higher, according to WWF, the authority on biodiversity preservation. Even for the known species, who checks if every microbe, moss or tropical spider has been seen in the past 50 years?
Also, good luck getting people to care about invertebrates. Even if we identify which species went extinct, people will soon be bored hearing daily to weekly about a Hydroidolina member once seen in a South American bog. They’d change the channel to Fox News where they’ll be told about three animals once falsely declared extinct and how WWF are alarmists. “DoN’t ThEy rEaLiZe aNiMaLs mOvE? DiD ThEy ChEcK eVeRy BoG?” Or if the host is a tech bro: “HoW MuCh DaTa’S ThE DnA? i’LL GiVe YoU a GiGaByTe EvErY DaY iF YoU ShUt Up.”