Well preserved
 |
| Banking on it ... Dr Johnston with a koala joey |
Eight joeys are living testament to breakthrough breeding technology behind the world’s first koala sperm bank.
UQ scientists recently unveiled koala joeys produced by artificial insemination (AI) as part of the development of the world’s first koala sperm bank.
Eight joeys, all born on the Gold Coast, were conceived using new breeding technology, which uses sperm mixed with a special solution that prolongs the sperm’s shelf life.
The research is a joint project for UQ advanced reproductive technology scientists, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Dreamworld, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, David Fleay’s Wildlife Park, and the Zoological Society of London.
Dr Steve Johnston, project leader and reproductive biologist at UQ’s School of Animal Studies, said his team now had the technology to use transported koala semen in Australia and eventually overseas.
“Eight of the 12 current test-tube joeys were born following the artificial insemination of freshly diluted sperm samples,” Dr Johnston said.
“The next vital step is the use of chilled sperm and then thawed frozen sperm from the sperm bank.”
Once the sperm bank is up and running, the genetic background of each animal will be available to ensure there will be appropriate genetic management.
Samples are also being screened for common koala diseases, such as chlamydiae and retroviruses, by other members of the research team in UQ’s School of Integrative Biology.
With the arrival of the current joeys, 25 koalas have now been produced by AI with a success rate approaching that of natural mating.
The koala is not classified as an endangered species but is listed as vulnerable to extinction in parts of Queensland and in New South Wales.
“We don’t want to claim the technique as the solution to koala conservation but more of a tool for genetic management and animal welfare – an extra insurance policy,” Dr Johnston said.
He said the technology could help manage the genetic diversity of koala populations and eventually also help conserve other threatened marsupials.
Funding for the work has been provided by a threeyear, Australian Research Council Linkage grant to investigate artificial breeding, population genetics, disease-resistance and improved semen-freezing.
Linkage grants involve a collaborative arrangement between the Commonwealth, UQ and industry partners which provide partial funding and in-kind resources.
The use of AI technology is a component of the Queensland Government’s Koala Conservation Plan and builds on previous collaborative research under an historic agreement between UQ and the Queensland Government.
- FUNDING: Australian Research Council Linkage grant; Dreamworld; Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary; and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
- RESEARCHERS: Dr Steve Johnston and Dr Frank Carrick
- EMAIL: s.johnston1@uq.edu.au
- WEB: www.animal.uq.edu.au; www.sib.uq.edu.au
