SAN FRANCISCO and HASTINGS, New Zealand  -- July 16, 1999  -- It may have sounded like science fiction, perhaps even a dodo of an idea, several months ago, but scientists and ethicists meeting in New Zealand have concluded that efforts to revive an extinct species of bird through cloning should begin immediately.

In an event seemingly plucked from the pages of "Jurassic Park," scientists, ethicists, Maori (New Zealand's indigenous people) and high school students here decided last weekend to try to clone the huia (WHO-ee-uh), a bird driven to extinction early this century by a fashion craze.

Professor Diana Hill, head of the molecular biology unit at the University of Otago, New Zealand, called the project "flagship research" and "exciting leading-edge science of international significance." Prof. Hill is a member of a team that has recently been investigating the cloning of the moa, another extinct bird.

In New Zealand, the huia is a bird of great cultural importance to the Maori.  Ngati Huia, Maori kaitiaki (guardians) of the huia, expressed their support for the cloning of the huia "if at all possible" and mandated further research in a paper presented by Mr. Rupene Waaka.
The Reverend Dr. Norman Ford, Catholic priest and director of the Caroline Chisholm Centre for Health Ethics in Melbourne said that the benefits to Maori and to New Zealand of cloning the Huia meant the research was morally acceptable.

"The next step in the cloning process involves searching for cells in the bones and tendons of preserved specimens," says Dr. Rhys Michael Cullen, a New Zealand physician and secretary of the academic committee of Cyberuni.org, a conference sponsor. "If none are found, then we will try to extract DNA from those specimens and use 'Jurassic Park technology'."

If one can be found, the nucleus of a cell removed from a taxidermic specimen of a huia could be fused with the ovum of another bird to start the regeneration.  In Scotland, scientists used a cell implant to clone Dolly, the sheep.  Alternatively, scientists could attempt to create a clone from a genetic template of the huia.  This was the process to revive dinosaurs from extinction as described in the novel, "Jurassic Park."

"Cyberuni.org's mission as an educational portal on the Internet is to encourage people to think and critically examine the world around them," says Franich.  "The moral and scientific debate at the core of the conference is typical of what Cyberuni.org encourages as an educational institution."

The huia (which belongs to the starling family) is one of three species of wattlebirds (a wattle is a fleshy growth like the one that hangs from the neck of a turkey) unique to New Zealand.  About the size of a magpie, the male huia had a short, blunt beak, while the female had a long, curved bill.  The different appearance of males and females led to their initial classification as separate species.  The Maori prized the bird's 12 large, white-tipped, black tail feathers.

The huia was not adept at flying.  It lived beneath the forest canopy and nested in tree trunks or in hollows on the ground.  The huia population began to decline as Europeans arrived in New Zealand and cleared land for pastures, cut down forests and introduced natural predators.  Hunters also sought huia to serve a ready market for stuffed and mounted examples of the birds.

A British royal visit to New Zealand in 1901 sealed the fate of the huia.  In Rotorua, an old Maori woman placed a huia feather in the Duke of Windsor's hatband to signify his royal rank.  A photograph of the event printed in London newspapers made a huia feather in a hatband a fashion necessity.  First priced at a shilling (few cents) each, the cost of each feather eventually reached five pounds (about US $10) as the birds vanished from New Zealand.  The last official sighting of a huia occurred in 1907; it was officially declared extinct in the 20s.

About Cyberuni.org, inc.

Founded in 1998, Cyberuni.org, inc. is a California corporation that intends to become "the world's university."  Cyberuni.org offers courses designed for delivery over the Internet.  Through its university-level courses and services in evaluating students' progress, Cyberuni.org also intends to enable smaller colleges and universities, especially those in developing countries to expand their curricula without having to invest capital and attract specialist faculty.  Cyberuni.org will license some courses, perhaps one leading to a master's degree in business administration, from existing institutions.  However, Cyberuni.org will purchase the majority of its courses from qualified providers such as faculty members of other universities.

Cyberuni.org offers its courses in conjunction with discussion groups composed of students, faculty and invited experts.  Cyberuni.org is also creating a virtual campus library on the web, open to students from grade school through post-graduate level.  Ultimately, Cyberuni.org intends to grant bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in fields ranging from business to medicine.

Conference Participant Contact Information

The Rev. Dr. Norman Ford, SDB, STL, Ph.D.
Foundation Director, Caroline Chisholm Centre for Health Ethics, Melbourne, Australia
Adjunct Professor, Australian Catholic University
Catholic priest and a Salesian of Don Bosco (SDB)
phone +61-3-92702681 
fax +61-3-92702681 
Author : When did I begin? Conception of the human individual in history, philosophy, and science. CUP 1988 (translated into Polish in 1995 and Italian in 1997)

Professor Diana Hill, PhD.
Director, Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago
fax: +64-3-4775413
phone +64-25-998674
Dr. Hill leads a team that is interested in "ancient DNA." Her team has recently investigated cloning the Moa, an extinct bird. This work has commercial implications as the giant Moa was a very large bird (3 meters high). If its growth hormone gene could be introduced into a bird bred for meat, such as the ostrich, then the product might be a larger bird that efficiently converts food to meat.

Mr. Rupene Waaka
Ngati Huia
The Ngati Huia are a hapu that has a unique relationship with the Huia. They tried very hard to save the bird from extinction and have a special perspective on the ethical and moral issues surrounding any consideration of its cloning. 
Fax: 06-3647822
phone 06-3647820
e-mail:  rupene.waaka@twor-otaki.ac.nz 

Conference Organizers

Dr. Rhys Michael Cullen
Chairman, Matthew Gardiner-Hill Community Trust
Secretary, academic committee, cyberuni
phone 09-309-3387
fax 09-3093327

Mr. James Watson
Senior Master
Hastings Boys High School
Phone +64-6-878-3182
fax +64-6-878-3947