Pretty much what the video says. Tustin is credible.

I think there definately were moose there up into the early 2000s. Very small numbers in very difficult terrain. Fishermen shot the odd one or two over the years but kept it quiet.

Are they still there? Maybe , maybe gone now. Tustins dedication to the cause is commendable , but untill theres either clear footage or an animal on the ground it will remain a mystery.

I wonder about the motives of the hunters who shot the cow moose back in the '30s.

In those days it was generally not cricket to shoot females and the Harry Butler outlook (kill to prove existence, in order to save the species) would hardly apply.

Going off of memory, I think he thought it was a bull. I might be wrong on that but I got the impression from Max curtis book that there might have been a bit of competition.

About 15 years ago I saw Ken at a meeting and he said then that as deer numbers increased again after aireal recovery finished the last moose survivors would die off. The deer have recovered and even if a few moose still survive they are unlikely to be able to find a mate. Extinct? Possibly not. Functionally extinct? Certainly. The habitat was never really suitable. They might have done better in Westland but we will never know. Sad!
Happy Christmas!