By IANS
Hyderabad : Scientists here have succeeded in artificial insemination of a blackbuck by using a non-invasive method, leading to the birth of a live fawn. Encouraged by the feat, they now plan to implement it for saving other endangered species also.
Scientists at the Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) of the prestigious Centre for Cellular Molecular Biology (CCMB) here are excited about the success achieved for the first time in the world.
“This is the first successful artificial insemination in the world in oestrus-induced blackbuck, by non-surgical intra-vaginal insemination,” director of CCMB Lalji Singh announced at a news conference Friday.
Interestingly, the announcement was made on a day when a court in Jodhpur sentenced Bollywood actor Salman Khan to five years imprisonment for killing a chinkara deer – another endangered species.
Singh said while surgical intra-uterine insemination, an invasive procedure, has led to the birth of young ones of cheetah, leopard, puma, wild cat and deer in other countries, this was the first time that a non-invasive procedure was used, which is preferred by wildlife biologists.
The Central Zoo Authority has now permitted the scientists to start a similar effort for conservation of vultures, another highly endangered species. A vulture-breeding centre will be set up at Nehru Zoological Park here for the purpose, Singh said.
The blackbuck delivered the fawn Thursday, after a six-month pregnancy. Semen samples were collected from 10 males and three females were inseminated non-surgically. After 55 days, ultrasonography showed that one of the animals had conceived. The conception was confirmed after 125 days.
Indian blackbuck, locally called kala hiran, is an endangered antelope species. According to 1990 figures, there were 38,000 blackbuck in India. But conservationists fear the number has dwindled since then due to poaching.
The scientists said their success came one-and-a-half years after the birth of a spotted deer by a similar method. “The authorities were not ready to allow us to handle endangered species and they agreed only after we were successful with the spotted deer,” Singh said.
S. Shivaji, director-grade scientist, CCMB said the success was achieved by the relentless pursuit of a group of three scientists – Sadanand Sontakke, Manoj Patel and G. Umapathy.
The Nehru Zoological Park and a number of other institutions cooperated in the project, he said.
Shivaji said they were trying to use the technique to increase the number of Nicobar pigeons, another highly endangered species. There are only 150 Nicobar pigeons left in Nicobar island.
“Ultimately we plan to use assisted reproductive technologies in lions and tigers,” he said. LaCONES also plans to build a semen bank for conservation. Frozen semen samples can be stored in the bank.