Although there are so many amazing things that become possible as scientific methods and technologies develop, these triumphs often come after a long series of false starts and disappointments.
Although there are so many amazing things that become possible as scientific methods and technologies develop, these triumphs often come after a long series of false starts and disappointments.
For instance, although scientists were able to reactivate the cells of a 28,000-year-old woolly mammoth, that wasn't the first mammoth they tried this on.
Despite how powerful and ferocious they are, jaguars are in a vulnerable state right now.
The New York Post reported that poaching and habitat loss has put the species at risk.
Farms, ranches, mines, residential subdivisions and border infrastructure all contribute to jaguar extinction rates.
And that mission involves an effort to produce new jaguars through artificial insemination.
According to Regina Paz from Brazil’s Mata Grosso Federal University, they had been trying this without success since 2017.
The Research team was able to bring together five female jaguars who displayed the right health, age, reproductive vigor, and "favorable behavior" to actually give birth to a live cub this way.
As the New York Post reported the females would not be sedated as much because they had already been conditioned to keep their stress levels down during ultrasounds and hormone treatments.
The process used for this had already worked on other big cats, but jaguars remained the only species of them that hadn't experienced a live birth this way.
After she underwent the insemination process in November (not pictured), it would only take a little over three months before she successfully gave birth on February 16th.
"[the birth] invigorates the possibility of the use of assisted reproduction as a management tool" said Swanson, who is based at the Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife,
"It increases the genetic variability of (captive and wild) populations and the conservation of these endangered iconic cats" Swanson continued.
The newborn jaguar was a healthy female who had no issues snuggling up to and feeding from her mother.
For anyone wondering whether the insemination process alienated Bianca from her cub, it turns out that it's not unusual for a carnivorous animal like a jaguar to eat their young.
Whether they're in the wild or in captivity, there's always a chance that they'll do this.
Researchers witnessed Bianca demonstrate ‘excellent maternal care’ on the first day. It is assumed that Bianca's first time motherhood may have influenced the death of her cub, but the team will never know for sure.
"We don’t know why and cannot say if it was killed by the mother" explained Samuel Nuness of Mata Ciliar, "because it was not seen on the monitors on the second day".
Researchers are celebrating the fact that their procedure resulted in a healthy baby and expect to inseminate the other jaguars throughout the year.
h/t: New York Post