Nature & Environment
Most Endangered Wild Cat on Earth Saved by Castration: Embryos Preserved for First Time
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Mar 25, 2013 03:10 PM EDT
The Iberian lynx is the most endangered wild cat on Earth, but now it could be saved--by castration. Scientists have removed the ovaries of a female Iberian lynx and then collected the embryos, preserving them for future use in species repopulation.
The embryos were extracted from an Iberian lynx named Azahar, which was part of a breeding program in Portugal. After having problems with two different pregnancies which led to two emergency Caesarian sections, she was deemed unfit to breed for health reasons.
That didn't mean that her ovaries had to go to waste, though. After removing the organ, the scientists obtained the embryos through a method adapted from the one used on domestic cats. Surprisingly, the embryos and oocytes had to be flushed out of the oviducts instead of the uterus. This revealed that embryos from a lynx develop far more slowly than those of domestic cats.
The Iberian lynx has decreased steadily in population numbers over the last 200 years. Its habitat has been drastically reduced, and its main food source, rabbits, has been impacted by epidemics such as myxamatosis. A decade ago, it was estimated that only 200 individuals remained. The wild cat could face extinction in a matter of years.
Now, the Iberian lynx could receive a boost to its population through new fertilization methods. Conservationists hope that the fertilized eggs extracted from Azahar could be implanted into a surrogate mother of a closely related species, such as a Eurasian lynx. In addition to these new methods, though, there are breeding programs in place in order to help the lynxes to propagate.
While the idea of reviving the Iberian lynx through embryo implantation may seem farfetched, it's not completely unheard of. Just recently, a conference sponsored by National Geographic and TEDx took place. There, scientists discussed the possibility of reviving extinct species through the use of DNA samples taken from preserved tissues.
If an extinct species could be revived through the use of preserved tissues, it's more than possible for the Iberian lynx to survive with the use of embryos.
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First Posted: Mar 25, 2013 03:10 PM EDT
The Iberian lynx is the most endangered wild cat on Earth, but now it could be saved--by castration. Scientists have removed the ovaries of a female Iberian lynx and then collected the embryos, preserving them for future use in species repopulation.
The embryos were extracted from an Iberian lynx named Azahar, which was part of a breeding program in Portugal. After having problems with two different pregnancies which led to two emergency Caesarian sections, she was deemed unfit to breed for health reasons.
That didn't mean that her ovaries had to go to waste, though. After removing the organ, the scientists obtained the embryos through a method adapted from the one used on domestic cats. Surprisingly, the embryos and oocytes had to be flushed out of the oviducts instead of the uterus. This revealed that embryos from a lynx develop far more slowly than those of domestic cats.
The Iberian lynx has decreased steadily in population numbers over the last 200 years. Its habitat has been drastically reduced, and its main food source, rabbits, has been impacted by epidemics such as myxamatosis. A decade ago, it was estimated that only 200 individuals remained. The wild cat could face extinction in a matter of years.
Now, the Iberian lynx could receive a boost to its population through new fertilization methods. Conservationists hope that the fertilized eggs extracted from Azahar could be implanted into a surrogate mother of a closely related species, such as a Eurasian lynx. In addition to these new methods, though, there are breeding programs in place in order to help the lynxes to propagate.
While the idea of reviving the Iberian lynx through embryo implantation may seem farfetched, it's not completely unheard of. Just recently, a conference sponsored by National Geographic and TEDx took place. There, scientists discussed the possibility of reviving extinct species through the use of DNA samples taken from preserved tissues.
If an extinct species could be revived through the use of preserved tissues, it's more than possible for the Iberian lynx to survive with the use of embryos.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone