Isis releases photos of the Northern Bald Ibis in Palmyra — the last surviving colony in the Middle East. The Northern Bald Ibis may become extinct in Syria because of the capture of Palmyra by Islamic State, experts say. A tiny breeding colony of the northern bald ibis – a critically endangered species – was found near the city in 2002.

Culture and nature, they go hand in hand, and war stops, but nobody can bring back a species from extinction. Despite being protected, and breeding, their numbers dwindled to just four wild birds by 2012. A tagging project in 2006 discovered that the birds from the Syrian colony were wintering in Ethiopia. But it was unclear what was happening to the fledgling or immature birds.