Last Tamagotchi dies in captivity

The last Tamagotchi in captivity has died, meaning the species is now officially extinct.

The species, which was only discovered in the late 1990s, was subjected to an intensive breeding programme by adolescent girls with considerable initial success.

However, a failure to show them sufficient love and observe correct feeding times meant that many died without reproducing.

The adorable little creatures went into terminal decline when it became clear they had sex about as often as Pandas, and after a few years only a few remained, each requiring 24-hour care.

The last one died last night in its sleep when the battery finally ran out.

“This is a tragic day,” a WWF spokesman told us.

“We gave the last Tamagotchi the best life it could have, constantly pressing the love and attention buttons, and feeding it whenever it beeped.”

“We’re all broken up over here; it looked like a teddy bear with a heart-shaped face, and the thought we’ll never see it again is heartbreaking.”

The code for the last Tamagotchi will be kept in secure storage, in the hope it might be possible to recreate the species in future, like in Jurassic Park.

The WWF will now focus its attentions on saving the Pokemon, who have been in severe population decline since the craze wore off in about 2006.