%#Frozensperm could save the #endangered #black-footedferrets from going extinct, while preserving #geneticdiversity. Thus far, results have been successful.% - http://clapway.com/2015/08/16/frozen-sperm-endangered-species-101/

THE ENDANGERED SPECIES

Since the modern world has been making progress in technology and agricultural expansion, the natural world has steadily been shrinking. Greatest among natural victims are rain forests, which house so many precious animals. Today, there is a list that is a compendium of the most critically endangered species.

Conservationists battle daily to raise public awareness of the danger in losing a species, and stress the importance of getting involved in the conservation of threatened species. Reports are regularly released with scientific research regarding the status of each endangered population, and our collective efforts to save them.

NEWS WITH A NEW METHOD

In recent news, a press release was published on the 13th of August about a new method of conservation for endangered species. Using frozen sperm, the method came from scientists working in Lincoln Park Zoo, in Chicago, Illinois.

Around the same time, another press release was released to the public, citing research for this new method. The research can be viewed in the Animal Conservation which was also released the same day.

The new method involved using frozen sperm for later artificial insemination. The method was tested out on the endangered black-footed ferrets and thus far, the results have been successful.

THE RESULTS

The frozen sperm came from a ferret who has been dead for the past twenty years. Now, the sire has offspring to continue his line and steadily increase the ferret population.

Such successful results show that not only are frozen sperm a viable option for conservation efforts, but also that it is a viable, practical way to preserve the essence of these precious animals. Thus far, the results have been promising.

However, the concern of genetic diversity is still under consideration; With such a small population, researchers are worried about the degenerative effects of multi-generational inbreeding; namely, that the lack of genetic diversity according the research will impend the chances of pregnancies or conception and lead to malformation in offspring later.

The deceased ferret sire seems to be a key example of maintaining greater the chances of conception, by appealing to the dead animals, the problem of finding a wide enough scope of genetic diversity to avoid deficient offspring is assuaged. It goes to show how essential it really is for endangered species to maintain a bank of frozen sperm, especially for species with genetically thin and quantitatively small populations, like the black-footed ferrets.

BEFORE YOU RUSH TO THE SPERM BANK, REVIEW THE WEEK!

Frozen Sperm Could Save Endangered Species

China: The 100-Year Old Yangtze Turtle Hope to Save Species - http://clapway.com/2015/05/27/china-the-100-year-old-yangtze-turtle-hope-to-save-species-123/

A Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle is one of the rarest turtles in the world, normally found in Vietnam and China. Also known as the Red River giant soft-shell, Shanghai soft-shell and the Swinhoe’s soft-shell, this turtle is in danger of becoming extinct. Only four living turtles are known, but there is some hope making the rounds now because of a 100-year old Yangtze turtle may give birth to all new baby soft shells.

Trying Artificial Insemination to Save Species

Scientists, researchers and veterinarians have all gathered at the Suzhou Zoo near Shanghai China. They hoped to pave the way to save the Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle from utter extinction by letting nature take its course with the female and male living together. However, that hasn’t worked so scientists are looking to save this giant turtle by turning to artificial insemination. Although it could very well not work, the team is hoping for a miracle. The 100-year old Yangtze turtle will get every chance she needs for a successful pregnancy. Even one hatchling will be enough hope to get the turtle out of its extinct state.

Good News for the Species

Luckily, it seems like their miracle has come along. A team of wildlife experts coming from the Zoo in San Diego have succeeded. The female Yangtze turtle has successfully been artificially inseminated. This procedure has been an international effort in the hopes to save this endangered, nearly extinct species. There is now hope that new turtles will enter this world and the Yangtze soft-shell will be a little less endangered.

The 100-year old Yangtze turtle was mated with a male counterpart at the Suzhou Zoo, while two other males are in a facility in Vietnam. The effort and success of artificial insemination were brought together by scientists all around the world. The TSA, Turtle Surveillance Alliance and the WCS, Wildlife Conservation Society, as well as the Bronx Zoo, Suzhou Zoo, Changsha Zoo, China Zoo Association and San Diego Global were all a part of this miraculous victory.

Hope for 100-Year Old Yangtze Turtle to Become a Mom

Dr. Gerald Kuchling, who is a part of the TSA and the organizer of the project, explained that they initially tried to determine if the male soft-shell turtle was still capable of producing sperm. Although the male turtle may be just as old, the organs within the male turtle were damaged from something that happened decades ago and was unable to procreate naturally. They determined that the sperm was only about 50% was viable, but there is hope that those 50% hit the target.

Both of the female and male turtles are in good condition following the procedure. Scientists are estimating that the female will lay her eggs in just a few short weeks. Afterward is when scientists find out whether or not the eggs are fertile. This 100-year old Yangtze turtle may be bringing about a halt to the extinction of her species. There is still a lot more to be done so keep your fingers crossed. It will be several weeks before scientists know if the insemination was a success.

China: The 100-Year Old Yangtze Turtle Hope to Save Species

China: Scientists Test New Way of Saving Giant Turtle Species - http://clapway.com/2015/05/26/china-scientists-test-new-way-of-saving-giant-turtle-species123/

Scientists, researchers and veterinarians at the Suzhou Zoo near Shanghai, China are paving the way for one of the most remarkable trials yet — they are attempting to save the Yangtze giant softshell turtle from extinction. They are hoping to save the rare turtle species by turning to artificial insemination. One of the groups heading this project is led by the Turtle Survival Alliance, a nonprofit conservation organization. They aren’t hoping for much — but they are hoping for a miracle. Even just the possibility of seeing one hatchling will give them hope for the turtle species’ recovery.

The largest freshwater turtle in the world faces imminent extinction

The Yangtze giant softshell turtle once thrived in the Yangtze and Red Rivers, which cumulatively course through southwest, eastern and central China. By the late 1990s, however, its population was drastically reduced due to pollution, hunting and dam development. Today, only four known specimens of this great turtle species remain, one of which is an 85-year-old female who lives in the Suzhou Zoo. To this date, she has laid multiple clutches of eggs (after mating with a 100-year-old male), all of which unfortunately turned out to be unfertilized.

She was discovered in 2007, after specialists from China’s Wildlife Conservation Society branch sought out large turtle species from every zoo in the country. They finally spotted the crucial female turtle in one of the pictures supplied by the Changsha Zoo in Hunan. It turns out that she had been living there since 1949, after the Chinese Revolution ended.

Experimenting with reproductive physiology on turtle species

For six years, the female specimen mated with a fellow turtle at the Suzhou Zoo, but not a single egg was fertile. On May 6, Dr. Kuchling (a project leader of the Turtle Survival Alliance) and Dr. Lu (of the WCS), decided to take further action.

The specialists found out that the male turtle’s reproductive organ had been severely injured after a fight with another male turtle years ago. Sperm was extracted using electrical stimuli, and the team discovered that, while their mobility levels were low, they were still viable. Thus, the plan for artificial insemination proceeded.

Guesswork likely the only way to save turtle species

With no other case studies to model after, the team devised their own strategy. They looked at the female’s cloaca with a fiber-optic endoscope, and located the chamber leading to her oviducts, where the semen was deposited. The experiment may be a long shot, but we’ll have to wait till around late June to see if it was successful.

The two other (male) Yangtze giant softshell turtles are in Vietnam, with one in Hoan Kiem Lake, in Hanoi. There is almost no way, however, for non-Vietnamese to have “access” to these turtles. Other sightings of the turtle species have been reported in a dam reservoir on the Red River, but imminent reach to these turtles seems unlikely.

China: Scientists Test New Way of Saving Giant Turtle Species