‘’No mention of moa hunt’

Press, 17 February 1978, Page 2

‘’No mention of moa hunt’

PA Invercargill "We would all like to know what happened to the moa, but I doubt if they will find any,” said the chief ranger of the Fiordland National Park (Mr W. E. Sander) from Te Anau yesterday, commenting on i reports that a Japanese film team intends to venture into Fiordland in search of the moa. The park board’s executive officer (Mr W. Cooper) said that according to his information, the Japanese team wanted only to epare

background film for a documentary on the moa. “There has been no mention of this being a moa hunt,” Mr Cooper said. The Fiordland park board had some time ago received a letter from the Tourist and Publicity Department seekling permission for a Japanese film team to enter FiordI land to film another bird species, the rare takahe, and take background film for an item on the history of the moa.

“After consultation, the board decided to decline permission for the team to go

into the takahe area,” Mr Cooper said. “There has already been considerable footage shot on the takahe. The Wildlife Division, National Film Unit, an N.K.H. television team from Japan, and TVl’s natural history unit have all shot film of the takahe,” he said.

“The takahe are not increasing in numbers. They are only holding their own,” said Mr Cooper. "The Wildlife Division and the board both agreed it would not help the takahe to be further disturbed by film teams.” However, the team had been given permission to enter other areas of the park

to do background for a documentary on the history of the moa — which for decades has been recognised as being extinct. The Japanese group arrived in Christchurch this week. One report said it would make a film that raises the possibility that a small species of moa is still present in Fiordland. Other reports said the team was seeking live moas. The last supposed sighting of a bush moa anywhere in New Zealand was made by Alice McKenzie as a small girl at Martin’s Bay, north of Milford Sound, before the turn of the century.