Assisted Reproduction and Cryopreservation of Genome Resource in Wildlife for Global Biodiversity : Zoos and Aquariums Potentiality for Global Health

Abstract

Natural habitats should be restored so that wildlife will still be present for the next generation. Zoos and aquariums should make a great effort simultaneously for the longer term contribution to global biodiversity conservation by international cooperation with other conservation organizations. To ensure the survival of endangered species and to maintain their captive population number with genetic diversity, it is essential that great efforts should be made to establish assisted reproductive techniques and cryopreserve the cells such as germplasm. Five zoos and Hokkaido University have been developing research on assisted reproduction in the Amur tiger and Hokkaido brown bear. As part of the time capsule project for genes and cells of endangered wildlife, tissue samples of threatened species were taken and transported to NIES for cell culture and cryopreservation. Primordial germ cells (PGCs) have been collected and cryopreserved from the eggs of captive birds. We also study the production of interspecific germline chimaeras by use of the PGCs transplant operation to breed endangered birds in the future. Assisted reproduction and cell preservation are not directly contributing to wildlife conservation. The introduction of these scientific attempts to the general public must be done to give them the opportunity to know the current status of wildlife as a tool of environmental education. In this review, studies on assisted reproduction and cryopreservation of cells from endangered wildlife is introduced and zoo potentiality for wildlife and global health conservation is described.