Bird sperm exchange may save rare species

Press, 25 February 1987, Page 24

Bird sperm exchange may save rare species

NZPA London New Zealand bird breeders will be asked to start an exchange of sperm to save rare species of the cockatoo family, the "Sunday Times” has reported. The newspaper reported the development when it said London Zoo had hatched two budgerigars, Frosty and Icy, after artificial insemination using frozen semen from a donor bird. The experiment, which also involved the world’s first vasectomy for a budgerigar, was ’’not as frivolous as it sounds,” said the report ’’Now that researchers

have established that budgie semen can be frozen for long periods and still remain effective, more than 400 endangered bird species could be saved. "It means that bird semen can be sent around the world and breeding will no longer be hampered by bans on the import and export of live birds.” Approaches will be made to breeders in Australia as well as New Zealand, "two of the countries enforcing the ban on the Import and export of live birds, to open up an exchange of sperm which

could help save rare species of the cockatoo family.” teOfihat international transport of semen between zoos and breeding centres may be the only answer to maintain genetic diversity in populations of rare species, the “Sunday Times” said. Jaime Samour, a research biologist at London’s Institute of Zoology, gave a budgerigar a vasectomy during the experiment so that a female could be encouraged to produce eggs without the male fertilising them himself.