A wild-born artificial lion

The world’s first artificially modified lion was born at the Animal Protection Center in the African Primorye capital of South Africa. The two baby lions born on August 25th are all said to be in good health.

The Pretoria Institute for Mammal Research has repeatedly made trial and error over the past year and a half to collect sperm from healthy male lions, examine blood samples from cancerous lambs, measure hormone levels, and artificially fertilize it at times deemed appropriate for reproduction.

The breakthrough in this method is that there is no need to transport or raise the lioness. You just need to lie next to the fence to get a blood sample, and you do not have to pull the male semen out of the habitat environment when you transport it. The lion is endangered in 26 African countries. Wild populations have plummeted 43% over the past two decades. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are only 20,000 remaining.

The method of breeding female lions in their habitat through artificial fertilization can be said to be suitable for species conservation in wild environments. The researchers say that it is an important milestone for a lion born through artificial insemination to be born in nature, not in a zoo. Although lion breeding is criticized by animal protection groups for tourism and trade purposes, it is certain that artificial insemination technology helps to preserve species. Eighteen African conservation groups that do not support the study acknowledge that they will be able to save wildlife, such as endangered cheetahs. For more information, please click here.