A Texas-based biotech company, Colossal Biosciences, plans to bring back the South Island giant moa — a 10-foot-tall flightless bird that vanished from New Zealand around 600 years ago, shortly after humans arrived.
Colossal, known for its efforts to revive extinct species like the woolly mammoth and the dodo, will work with New Zealand’s Ngāi Tahu Research Centre. The project will begin by analyzing ancient DNA from moa remains to understand the bird’s unique genetic makeup.
The company says the research could also aid conservation and offer insight into how human activity and climate change impact biodiversity. Colossal, backed by $435 million in funding and investors like filmmaker Peter Jackson, sees the moa as an iconic symbol worth restoring.
However, some experts, like avian researcher Scott MacDougall-Shackleton, argue that while the science is interesting, conserving existing endangered species should be a higher priority.
