Preparing for De-Extinction - Are We There Yet?

Earlier this year MP Trevor Mallard grabbed the headlines with the suggestion that New Zealand should resurrect the extinct moa. The issue of de-extinction caught the attention of science communication student Janis Russell at the University of Otago, and she set out to find out more. She spoke with zoologist Philip Seddon from the Zoology Department at the University of Otago about how feasible de-extinction is as a concept, and whether or not New Zealand has other more pressing conservation concerns that should be be the focus of effort. She also caught up with law lecturer Nicola Wheen from the University of Otago to talk about the legal implications of bringing a species back from the grave: who owned it, and who was responsible for any unintended consequences.