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.
The carbon conversation continues to thrive, and successfully attracts significant investment and market-driven incentives. It has been commodified—bought, sold, offset, and traded—as if it exists in isolation from the broader environmental crisis. This narrow focus risks turning the pursuit of ‘net-zero’ into a convenient smokescreen, allowing companies and countries to claim progress while overlooking the interconnected challenges of biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and long-term sustainability.
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.
Mandrill
Total Population: Unknown
Komodo dragon
Total Population: Around 3,500 in the wild
Black howler monkey
Total Population: Less than 5,000 in the wild
Patagonian Sea Lion
Total Population: 222,500 to 265,000 in the wild
Orange-headed thrush
Total Population: Unknown
Capybara
Total Population: Unknown
Southern white rhino
Total Population: Around 15,000 in the wild
Black tree monitor
Total Population: Unknown
Okapi
Total Population: Less than 25,000 in the wild
Hamerkop
Total Population: Unknown
Sloth bear
Total Population: Less than 20,000 in the wild
Siamang Gibbon
Total Population: Around 22,000 in the wild
Scimitar-horned oryx
Total Population: Around 400 in the wild
African wild dog
Total Population: Around 6,600 in the wild
Owston’s palm civet
Total Population: Unknown
Bactrian camel
Total Population: Less than 1,000 in the wild
White naped mangabey
Total Population: Around 1,000 in the wild
Smew
Total Population: Around 80,000 in the wild
Red river hog
Total Population: Unknown
Spix’s night monkey
Total Population: Unknown
Nile Lechwe
Total Population: 30,000 - 40,000 in the wild
