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How a sperm bank for cheetahs might one day save the fastest land animal
Laurie Marker has collected sperm from about 400 cheetahs since 1990 to preserve genetic diversity amid an 80% population decline in the wild, aiding future conservation.
- For decades, Laurie Marker, American zoologist, has collected and stored approximately 400 cheetah samples in a sperm bank at the Cheetah Conservation Fund laboratory, Namibia, using liquid nitrogen ultralow-temperature storage.
- With fewer than 7,000 wild cheetahs remaining, conservationists mark World Cheetah Day on Thursday, noting around 33 fragmented populations across Africa, most with less than 100 animals and shrinking gene pools.
- Collecting samples opportunistically during treatment, Marker takes cheetah sperm from injured or dead cats after calls from farmers, while Namibia's prohibition on breeding wild animals keeps samples reserved for worst-case use.
- Acting as a 'frozen zoo', the Cheetah Conservation Fund sperm bank serves as a last-resort genetic backup since cheetahs do not breed well in captivity, while the black-footed ferret recovery example shows artificial reproduction's potential.
- Namibian farmers view cheetahs as threats, so isolated cheetah groups and shrinking gene pools combined with high rates of abnormal sperm complicate natural recovery and increase reliance on frozen material.
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Associated Press News+11 Reposted by 11 other sources
How a sperm bank for cheetahs might one day save the fastest land animal
American zoologist Laurie Marker has been collecting and storing specimens in a cheetah sperm bank in Namibia for 35 years, hoping conservationists never have to use them.
·United States
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Total News Sources12
Leaning Left5Leaning Right2Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution42% Left, 42% Center
Bias Distribution
- 42% of the sources lean Left, 42% of the sources are Center
42% Center
L 42%
C 42%
R 16%
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