Researchers in Australia suggest that biobanking along with IVF can help save koalas from extinction. How will this work?
Nearly 60,000 koalas may have been killed or affected during the “Black Summer” bushfire in Australia. AFP
It’s time to save Australia’s koalas.
Bushfires in recent years have claimed tens and thousands of koalas, The 2019-2020 Black Summer forest fires killed or displaced more than 300 billion animals including koalas and kangaroos. An estimated 60,000 koalas may have been killed or affected during the bushfire that spread across the states of Victoria and New South Wales.
In February, Australia listed the koala as an endangered species across most of its east coast.
Now researchers have come up with a plan to save them from extinction and it involves biobanking.
What exactly is biobanking?
Biobanking involves preserving the genetic materials of endangered animals by harnessing regeneration and reproductive technologies.
In animals, biobanking refers to freezing and storing sperm, eggs and embryos, as well as other cells and tissues from the body. These techniques have long been used in agriculture to store valuable sperm from top breeding bulls and crops in seed banks, reports The Conversation.
Freeze the sperm
Without intervention, the species could go extinct by 2050, warn experts.
Scientists at the University of New Castle have suggested freezing koala sperm and assisted reproductive technology to save koalas from extinction. Dr Lachlan Howell and Dr Ryan Witt say koala “biobanking”, could be harnessed with IVF technology to help the endangered species reproduce.
This, they believe, could be part of a breeding programme to future-proof the species and improve its genetic diversity.
According to the research published in the journal Animals, with biobanking, live koala genes could b stored by freezing sex cells such as sperm.
“The frozen sperm can then be used to impregnate female koalas in breed-for-release programmes, using assisted reproductive technology,” the researchers said. “We can cryopreserve koala sperm, just like we do for humans.”
Dr Witt, who is a conservation scientist, said the proposals were a cost-effective way to prevent inbreeding, and therefore help preserve the genetic diversity of koalas beyond small colonies of captive animals, reports BBC.
“Currently… we have no insurance policy against natural disasters like the 2019-2020 bushfires that threaten to wipe out large numbers of animals at the one time,” he said. “If the koala population dies in these kind of fire events, there is no way to bring them back or preserve their genetics.”
Has assisted reproduction been used on koalas?
Koala babies have been born following assisted reproduction before, according to the researchers. Thirty-four koala jockeys have been born using artificial insemination in zoos. However, fresh or chilled sperm was used in these cases.
However, Australian scientists believe biobanking, if developed, is the way forward.
Part of the foundational infrastructure needed for assisted reproductive technologies is already in place. Sixteen wildlife hospitals and zoos across Australia, which could act as nodes to collect koala sperm and help integrate assisted reproduction, have been zeroed in.
“By using frozen sperm, we can reintroduce genetic variation into wild koala populations without having to relocate koalas,” said Dr Howell.
The problem with captive breeding
Captive breeding is used to conserve the species but it has some problems of its own.
Applying new technologies can help overcome some shortfalls of captive breeding in which existing genetic issues in koalas can lead to reproductive dysfunction and infertility, the study pointed out. These issues, researchers say can compromise survival, disease resistance, and the species’ ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions from climate change, reports The Independent.
Assisted reproduction saved the black-footed ferret
North America’s black-footed ferret is coming back from the edge of extinction, aided in part by assisted reproduction techniques. In the 1980s, the last remaining 18 black-footed ferrets were brought into a captive breeding program in America. Because the genetic diversity was so low, researchers used artificial insemination and frozen sperm to reintroduce lost genes and reduce the damage from inbreeding, according to a report in The Conversation.
The way forward
Freezing the sperm has not been tried before and will need more research.
“All that is needed now is more research and funding to tweak existing assisted reproduction technologies so that we can cryopreserve koala sperm, just like we do for humans,” Dr Howell said.
Even the government is committed to the cause of saving endangered animals.
New South Wales environment minister James Griffin announced a record $200m for koala conservation to help double the state’s koala population.
With inputs from agencies
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