A new project backed by legendary Kiwi filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson could see the return of the extinct South Island giant moa - in less than a decade!
The massive flightless bird that once roamed Aotearoa, standing up to 3.6 metres tall and weighing around 230kg, could be making its way back from extinction thanks to some pretty high tech science.
The project is a team effort between the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre at the South Island’s University of Canterbury, Canterbury Museum, which is home to the world’s largest collection of moa remains, and US-based biotech firm Colossal Biosciences.
Their plan is to use DNA from preserved moa remains and advanced gene editing to bring the bird back to life.
Ngāi Tahu will basically act like a board of directors, fully involved and holding ownership over the recreated moa.
Paul Scofield, senior curator of natural history at Canterbury Museum, told RNZ’s Morning Report he's very hopeful for a successful result.
He reckons the ultimate goal is to have moa roaming a designated ecological reserve on Ngāi Tahu whenua within the next decade.
Colossal Biosciences CEO Ben Lamm added that the tools and tech are ready, and now it's all about putting it into action and making it happen.
“I hope it’s closer to five or six years… worst case ten,” he said. “But it’s still miraculous in terms of that technology curve.”
He also reckons that bringing it back could not only help contribute to saving other species, but also inspire the next generation of passionate scientists.
As for Sir Peter Jackson, who’s helping to fund the project, he said on Colossal’s website: “It’s obviously a creature that nobody alive today has ever seen. So it’s always been that elusive (feeling of), ‘Gosh, wouldn’t it be incredible if we knew what they were really like? What was it actually like to be in the company of one?’"
That’s such an awe-inspiring idea that I hope it happens as soon as possible.
Jackson also backed Colossal’s other project bringing the dire wolf back to life after 10,000 years.
The ancient DNA was found in fossils dating back 11,500 to 72,000 years ago. Colossal used the genetic code of the modern grey wolf to match the dire wolf genome, with domestic dogs acting as surrogate mothers to three pups.
Lamm appeared on 'The Joe Rogan Experience' back in April to share a wholesome story about Peter Jackson's emotional response to the pups after investing in the project.
Lamm said Jackson got emotional watching a video of the dire wolves howling for the first time.
He physically and emotionally got chills and started crying.
So, while the moa might not be roaming around Christchurch CBD any time soon, if all goes well for the Colossal scientists and Ngāi Tahu, Aotearoa’s iconically large bird might just be back before we know it.
