Conservation-induced extinction

Erroneous example

The trichodectid louse of the black-footed ferret has been mentioned in the literature several times as a parasite that became extinct during the captive breeding program of the host. However, this parasite most probably never existed as a separate species from Neotrichodectes minutus.

Species threatened by conservation-induced extinction

Stephanocircus domrowi, the goblin flea, is a critically endangered insect endemic to the Australian state of Victoria. It is host specific, and lives only with the co-endangered Leadbeater's possum. Most conservation efforts of the possum include cleaning its body of parasites to increase chances of survival for the host. Combined with the small size of possum population in the wild, the flea is now a critically endangered species. There has been proposals for its conservation, but none have been carried out.