De-extinction tech startup Colossal Bioscience, that brought back the dire wolf, has announced its latest project: bringing back the extinct moa.
This is a collaboration with Ngāi Tahu Research Centre, who will coordinate the project, and backed by Peter Jackson who is an investor at Colossal Bioscience.
Ngāi Tahu Research Centre will conduct laboratory research, conservation planning, and implementation, using the de-extinction technology and toolkit from Colossal Bioscience, which is free to use by any conservation group.
There are 9 different species of moa, the first moa birds brought back will be the smaller kind, with the aim to bring back the large birds.
The two leading genetic surrogates are the emu and tinamou.
No comments yet from Department of Conservation on how they plan to manage the conservation of moa bird once its back, or whether the bird will be released in the wild.
Some interesting comments made on social media;
User — What if I run into one on a hike?
Another user — Will Maori want customary rights to hunt moa birds?
Super cool and exciting!
Satire