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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In an exciting milestone for UK wildlife conservation, the charity has now safely stored cell tissues from the critically endangered Scottish wildcat, bringing their total number of species banked to 200.
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.
Nature’s SAFE is now home to biological tissue samples of 100 of the planet’s most endangered species – providing a vital insurance policy for threatened wildlife, so it can be protected for generations to come.
Capybara
Total Population: Unknown
Bar-headed goose
Total Population: 97,000 - 118,000 in the wild
Azara’s agouti
Total Population: Unknown
Sacred ibis
Total Population: 200,000 to 450,000 in the wild
Inca Tern
Total Population: Around 150,000 in the wild
Komodo dragon
Total Population: Around 3,500 in the wild
Sloth bear
Total Population: Less than 20,000 in the wild
African penguin
Total Population: Less than 40,000 in the wild
Black howler monkey
Total Population: Less than 5,000 in the wild
Sumatran laughing thrush
Total Population: 2,500 - 10,000 in the wild
Okapi
Total Population: Less than 25,000 in the wild
Asiatic Lion
Total Population: Around 650 in the wild
Common Eland
Total Population: 90,000 to 110,000 in the wild
Argentine black and white tegu
Total Population: Unknown
Patagonian Sea Lion
Total Population: 222,500 to 265,000 in the wild
Guianan Squirrel Monkey
Total Population: Around 150,000 in the wild
Mandanao bleeding-heart dove
Total Population: Less than 2,500 in the wild
Babirusa
Total Population: Less than 10,000 in the wild
Bactrian camel
Total Population: Less than 1,000 in the wild
Red-footed tortoise
Total Population: Unknown
