In Search of the Moa

About

In Search of the Moa is a one hour documentary investigation into the "the Lochness Monster of the South Pacific" - the New Zealand Moa or Dinornis giganteus to be precise.

Standing up to 2.5 m tall, the moa was the world's largest flightless bird. They once roamed in massive numbers throughout New Zealand. With no natural predators the moa lead a carefree existence - until the arrival of man. Now, like the old kiwi song laments, "They're gone and there ain't no moa". But are they really gone?

Although most scientists are convinced the moa is - well, no more - there have been elusive but persistent sightings. You'd think standing at a massive 2.5 m the moa would be unlikely to be missed, but New Zealand is privileged to still have a number of dense bush forests, particularly in the South Island where the sighting have occurred. Though sparse in population, the Island is home to glaciers, fjords and dense native forests.

As we take this sometimes light-hearted journey into the heartland of one of New Zealand's most persistent legends, we learn about this wonderful bird and its tragic disappearance forever.

Everyone wants to see a moa - simply because there ain't none. Which brings us to the more serious message in the documentary; that no amount of sightings, either 'hoax' or otherwise, is going to bring back a species from extinction.

There's nothing so moving as to hold the skull of an extinct species in your hands and wonder if there is any chance to right our wrongs - any way to bring back a species that we have annihilated. It's the kind of hope we need in this new millennium. But can we clone the moa back into existence?

The documentary is filmed on high-quality wide-screen digibeta. Directed by Cheryl Cameron (Best Director 2000), Produced and written by Donna Malane (Best Drama Script writer 2000) and Executive Produced by Dave Gibson for the Gibson Group in association with i.d.productions. Ltd. Distributed by HITEntertainment, London.

Technical Specifications

TV Production

Production Year: 2001

Category: Documentary

Commissioning Broadcaster: TVNZ

Duration: 50 min 30 sec

Outline: A documentary investigation into the 'the Lochness Monster of the South Pacific' - the New Zealand Moa or Dinornis giganteus to be precise.