Through his work on ‘Lord of the Rings’ and the ‘Hobbit’ trilogy, Peter Jackson is one of the most well-known and successful directors in Hollywood history. But his latest project might be the most ambitious.
The 63-year-old is stepping away from cinema for his next challenge, which will allow him to dedicate his time to another passion of his, an extinct New Zealand bird called the moa.
The flightless, ostrich-like birds used to roam New Zealand until around 600 years ago, when over-hunting forced them into extinction. The moa were enormous birds – up to 12 feet (3.6m) tall – and Jackson is now at the center of an effort to bring them back.
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The Independent reports that Jackson has given around $15 million in funding to Colossal Biosciences, a Texas-based company trying to ‘un-extinct’ animals. The project also includes Ngāi Tahu Research Centre in New Zealand.
Colossal scientists will attempt to recreates the long-lost moa by comparing examples of its DNA to genomes of living bird species. By comparing the examples to modern animals like the emu and the tinamou, scientists hope to create bird embryos that shall significant genetic similarities to the moa.
Colossal’s chief scientist Beth Shapiro has said that they are hoping to resurrect the species with 5-10 years, at which point they will be introduced to enclosed “rewilding sites” in New Zealand. The moa was common in New Zealand for around 4,000 years and Jackson is hoping that he can play a part in bringing them back.
“The hope that within a few years, we’ll get to see a moa back again – that gives me more enjoyment and satisfaction that any film ever has,” Jackson said.
“The movies are my day job, and the moa are my fun thing I do. Every New Zealand schoolchild has a fascination with the moa.”
However the plan is not without opposition. There is some concern about the public safety repercussions of bringing back a huge bird that is at least twice the height of most humans. There is also some question about whether it will really be a return for the moa, rather than a modified version of an existing bird.
“Can you put a species back into the wild once you’ve exterminated it there?” asked Stuart Pimm, ecologist at Duke University. “I think it’s exceedingly unlikely that they could do this in any meaningful way.”
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