Gabby Drake (Chester Zoo & Nature’s SAFE) presented a talk at the British Deer Veterinary Association meeting held on 26 November 2022, on developing methods to support the breeding of the Balabac mouse deer (Tragulus nigricans). This species of mouse deer is listed by the IUCN as endangered and there is a small, and mainly female, population managed in European zoos. Mouse deer, also called chevrotains, were an early branch of the evolutionary group ruminatia, and as well as sharing features with their cousins the cervids, share some features with the suids too, making then unchartered territory for assisted reproduction. The presentation included techniques for post mortem semen collection and storage, artificial insemination and monitoring of reproductive hormone cycles and pregnancy diagnosis using non-invasive faecal samples. Clinical techniques are challenging in these tiny animals and the reported Artificial Insemination attempt represents a first for this species, and a step towards developing assisted reproductive technologies to further their conservation.
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More than 40,000 species are currently at risk of extinction. Through a unified mission to save those species most at risk a new partnership has been formed between Paignton Zoo and Nature’s SAFE.
Living Biobank Charity, Nature’s SAFE, will be saving rare UK wildlife thanks to Postcode Local Trust.
COP16 held in Cali, Colombia came to a close on November 2nd, 2024. Following the creation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) in 2022, which set out the ambitious aim to conserve 30% of the world's land and ocean and to become 'nature-positive' by 2030, the conference was intended to mobilise action to reach these targets.
Pygmy marmoset
Total Population: Unknown
Little egret
Total Population: 660,000 to 3,150,000 in the wild
Common Hippo
Total Population: Less than 150,000 in the wild
Clouded Leopard
Total Population: Less than 10,000 in the wild
Red river hog
Total Population: Unknown
African Lion
Total Population: 20,000 - 25,000 in the wild
Black howler monkey
Total Population: Less than 5,000 in the wild
Caribbean flamingo
Total Population: 150,000 to 205,000 in the wild
Wolverine
Total Population: Around 13,000 in the wild
Mandrill
Total Population: Unknown
Collared peccary
Total Population: More than 2,000,000 in the wild
Scimitar-horned oryx
Total Population: Around 400 in the wild
Senegal galago
Total Population: Unknown
Red-footed tortoise
Total Population: Unknown
Komodo dragon
Total Population: Around 3,500 in the wild
Arctic wolf
Total Population: Around 200,000 in the wild
Black Hornbill
Total Population: Unknown
Mandarin duck
Total Population: Around 65,000 in the wild
Sacred ibis
Total Population: 200,000 to 450,000 in the wild
Brandt’s vole
Total Population: Unknown
White naped mangabey
Total Population: Around 1,000 in the wild
Bolivian squirrel monkey
Total Population: Unknown
