I first read about the giant moa birds of New Zealand when I was seven or eight years old and had no idea where New Zealand was and couldn’t quite understand the word “extinct.” They’ve fascinated me ever since.
Hi, Mr. Nature here, along with 11-foot-tall, 600-pound flightless birds–a lot bigger than the ostrich. They lived all over New Zealand until people arrived a few centuries ago and wiped them out. By the time the first Europeans reached New Zealand, there were no more moas. It’s really hard for flightless birds to defend themselves against human hunters armed with spears and bows and arrows.
It’s sad enough that animals do go extinct. What wouldn’t I give to see a live Baluchitherium! But when people drive them extinct, that’s worse. I can’t believe it pleases God when we do that.
Some scientists think they can bring the moa back through cloning: there are remains that have yielded moa DNA. I’ll believe it when I see it. I would rather than they bring back decency–wouldn’t you?