Lion

African wild dogs will soon have their own sperm bank – how artificial breeding will help them survive

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Lion, Gene, Disease, Lycaon, Rabies, Livestock, Research, Female, University, Freezing, Male, Dog, Breeding, Animal, Insemination, Hunting

They’ve now decided to freeze sperm from as many genetically diverse male African wild dogs as possible and use this to artificially inseminate female African wild dogs for the first time.

Key Points: 
  • They’ve now decided to freeze sperm from as many genetically diverse male African wild dogs as possible and use this to artificially inseminate female African wild dogs for the first time.
  • Reproductive and molecular biologist Damien Paris explains why artificial breeding is the best and most economical way to ensure that genetically diverse wild dogs live on.

Why is the African wild dog in danger?

  • They are highly efficient pack hunters but need large home ranges to survive and avoid competitors like lions.
  • The problem is that most of the remaining habitats are so small and fragmented that they can’t support large populations anymore.
  • Usually, when wild dogs are subadults (around two years old) they move far away and form their own pack.

How can genetic diversity help the African wild dog survive?

  • Those diseases can spread rapidly among wild dogs and decimate a pack, which is about five to 20 dogs.
  • In 2017, canine distemper virus completely wiped out 21 out of 22 packs of wild dogs in Laikipia County, Kenya in less than four weeks.
  • We plan to use sperm freezing and artificial insemination to help distribute genetic diversity between isolated populations.

What conservation methods have been used before?

  • To increase genetic diversity, African wild dogs have been translocated (moved) across South Africa since 1998.
  • Over several weeks, they form a new genetically mixed pack that is released into the wild.
  • A whole population of wild dogs could be lost with the next disease outbreak.

How will sperm freezing and artificial insemination help?

  • Our back-up plan against disease outbreaks is to create a bank of African wild dog sperm from multiple males.
  • Sperm frozen in liquid nitrogen tanks at very cold temperatures can last 50 or 100 years and still produce offspring.
  • We recently improved the freezing technique so African wild dog sperm are now able to swim and survive for eight hours after being thawed.
  • We plan to build a consortium so that we can have multiple sperm banks throughout South Africa as back-ups.

Will this be very expensive?

  • Some recent modelling in other species found that the hybrid approach was between seven and 84 times cheaper than the natural breeding approach.
  • This is because it needed 13-100 times fewer animals to maintain 90% genetic diversity in the population over a 100-year period.


Damien Boyd Bertrand Paul Paris receives funding from Morris Animal Foundation, Roger Willliams Park
Zoo and Fresno Chaffee Zoo. He is affiliated with James Cook University, the Institute for Breeding Rare and Endangered African Mammals, and is a Visiting Fellow of the Mammal Research Institute.

WILD ANIMAL SAFARI® PINE MOUNTAIN CELEBRATES REMARKABLE RECOVERY ONE YEAR AFTER DEVASTATING TORNADO

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
PINE, Tiger, Lion, Safari park, Environment, Safety, Hunting

America (OTCPink: PRKA), commemorated today the one-year anniversary of the tornado that wreaked havoc on the grounds of its Wild Animal Safari Park in Pine Mountain, Georgia.

Key Points: 
  • America (OTCPink: PRKA), commemorated today the one-year anniversary of the tornado that wreaked havoc on the grounds of its Wild Animal Safari Park in Pine Mountain, Georgia.
  • In the wake of the tornado on March 26th, 2023, Wild Animal Safari® Pine Mountain encountered significant setbacks from immediate storm damage, including over 4,500 fallen trees, miles of damaged fencing, with nearly 20 structures and animal habitats sustaining significant damage.
  • America, Inc. "Despite the challenges we faced, we remained steadfast in our commitment to restoring Wild Animal Safari® Pine Mountain to its former glory, and I am incredibly proud of the progress we have made."
  • Despite the remarkable progress achieved over the past year, Wild Animal Safari® Pine Mountain acknowledges that there is still work to be done.

Why Sikhs celebrate the festival of Baisakhi

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Sun, Lion, Freedom, Marriage, Customs, God, Religion, Mughal Empire, History, Food, Life, Hagiography, Woman, Ambrosia, Guru, Colonialism, Aries, Optimism, Muslims, Goat, Hunting

On the festival of Baisakhi, celebrated usually on April 13, Sikhs the world over will joyously wear yellow saffron colors, symbolizing spring harvest and the solar new year, when the Sun enters the constellation Aries.

Key Points: 
  • On the festival of Baisakhi, celebrated usually on April 13, Sikhs the world over will joyously wear yellow saffron colors, symbolizing spring harvest and the solar new year, when the Sun enters the constellation Aries.
  • The Sikh religion, with its line of 10 gurus, is traced back to the time of Guru Nanak, the first guru.
  • He encouraged his followers not to take the path of renunciation but to work hard and perform acts of charity.

The Khalsa ideal

  • The dramatic creation story of the Khalsa relates that the guru demanded sacrifice of life from his loyal followers who came to his abode in Anandpur in Punjab to celebrate Baisakhi and the beneficence of the harvest.
  • His five beloved disciples, known as the “Pañj Piāre,” were in the Sikh tradition the first initiates into the new order of the Khalsa, meaning the pure.
  • The guru is said to have pronounced that henceforth his Khalsa will be called lions, or “singh,” and they would maintain five symbols on their person that would set them apart from ordinary Sikhs and burnish their martial demeanor.

The need for the Khalsa

  • To understand the need for the Khalsa, it is important to step back into history.
  • The martial Khalsa was considered to be a political necessity during these times, which they perceived as being tyrannical.
  • The Khalsa also embodied self-discipline to inspire the guru’s Sikhs, the ordinary followers who did not become Khalsa.

An egalitarian stance

  • For the tenth guru, Gobind Singh, the Khalsa were the ideal for others to emulate.
  • His beloved five, who had been willing to sacrifice their lives for him, further demonstrated the importance of social equality.
  • Belonging to different caste groups, they represented the values of compassion, duty, firmness, honor and effort.

The Khalsa under colonialism

  • Customs such as early marriage and practices around widowhood that oppressed women, and caste discrimination that affected all, were reassessed.
  • For Sikh intellectuals, rejuvenating the egalitarian spirit of the Khalsa at this time seemed urgent.
  • Gender and caste inequities, they believed, could be combated by reviving Khalsa norms.


Anshu Malhotra does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Asia Broadband’s Second Gold-Backed NFT Collection the “Golden Rascals” Are Now In The Final Minting Phase and Listed on the Solana Blockchain

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Ethereum, Lion, Growth, GOLD, AABB, Gold, NFT, Golden, Non-fungible token

The Company’s NFT and digital assets team has officially reached multi-chain status with the Golden Rascals launch on SOLANA.

Key Points: 
  • The Company’s NFT and digital assets team has officially reached multi-chain status with the Golden Rascals launch on SOLANA.
  • The team’s initial sold-out project, Golden Baboons Mining Club, launched a year ago and resides on the Ethereum blockchain.
  • The Golden Rascal’s NFTs are a digital collectible that allow holders to participate in educational and entertainment utilities (perks/benefits).
  • The Golden Rascals are made up of 4 base characters (lions, hyenas, crocodiles, and bears) and are the antagonists to the beloved Golden Baboons.

‘Bones Love Milk’ Gravity Tour to Bring Elite Skateboarding Event & Competition to Fresno Area

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Retail, General Sports, Extreme Sports, Events, Concerts, Other Sports, General Entertainment, Celebrity, Women, Teens, Sports, Men, Family, Entertainment, Food, Beverage, Consumer, Athlete, Gravity Tour, Skatepark, Swag, Culture, Milk, Lion

), is hosting an event featuring skateboarding demos by some of the very best skateboarders in the nation and an all-levels skateboarding contest at Lions Park in the Sacramento area as part of its popular Gravity Tour.

Key Points: 
  • ), is hosting an event featuring skateboarding demos by some of the very best skateboarders in the nation and an all-levels skateboarding contest at Lions Park in the Sacramento area as part of its popular Gravity Tour.
  • Gravity Tour is a celebration of skate culture in which leading athletes show off their best skateboarding tricks and inspire the audience with each of their signature styles.
  • This public spectacle will have activities for the whole family to enjoy and will shine a spotlight on the world and culture of skateboarding.
  • In addition to the skateboarding events, free locally sourced milk, cookies and swag will be provided to attendees.

AKQA Future Lions Launches Tom Bedecarré School of the Year Award

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Digital Marketing, Social Media, Consulting, Content Marketing, Communications, Professional Services, Technology, Electronic Commerce, IAB, Standford, Education, School, Human, Entrepreneurship, Lion, Mentorship, Life, Student, Jonathan Blum, Creativity, Agency, Tom, AKQA, San Francisco Bowl, Advertising, Interactivity, Film industry

AKQA Future Lions has launched the Tom Bedecarré School of the Year Award in honour of Tom Bedecarré, AKQA’s Chairman Emeritus.

Key Points: 
  • AKQA Future Lions has launched the Tom Bedecarré School of the Year Award in honour of Tom Bedecarré, AKQA’s Chairman Emeritus.
  • Tom has made a unique and lasting contribution to AKQA, for which I will always be immensely grateful.
  • Working at the intersection of technology and creativity, Tom Bedecarré was instrumental in designing the AKQA Future Lions initiative.
  • The introduction of the Tom Bedecarré School of the Year Award coincides with AKQA’s 30th anniversary celebration, during which the agency has been honoured with the Agency of the Year wins an impressive 81 times.

Forsman & Bodenfors Springboards in the UK as Crispin Porter Bogusky London Becomes Part of the F&B Collective

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Sidekick, Volvo, F&B, Culture, Forsman & Bodenfors, Lion, Drum, Digiday, Blue Fin, Campaign, Car, Volvo Trucks, Family, Original, Stagwell

LONDON, March 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW)'s Forsman & Bodenfors, the global creative collective, today announced it will integrate Crispin Porter Bogusky's UK agency, CPB London, four months after it opened a satellite office in London. CPB London CEO, Helen James, will lead the newly combined entity, managing the team and reporting to Forsman & Bodenfors' global CEO, Toby Southgate. The London agency will now become a major hub in the global Forsman & Bodenfors collective.

Key Points: 
  • LONDON, March 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW)'s Forsman & Bodenfors , the global creative collective, today announced it will integrate Crispin Porter Bogusky's UK agency, CPB London, four months after it opened a satellite office in London.
  • CPB London CEO, Helen James, will lead the newly combined entity, managing the team and reporting to Forsman & Bodenfors' global CEO, Toby Southgate.
  • The London agency will now become a major hub in the global Forsman & Bodenfors collective.
  • James commented, "It's incredibly exciting to be welcomed into the Forsman & Bodenfors family, a brand we've long respected and indeed felt akin to in Europe.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH - MARINELAND MUST BE SHUT DOWN

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Lion, Government, Culture, Criminal code, Whale, Dolphin, World Animal Protection, Safety, Lung compliance, Animal, Legislation

That is horrifying and the Government of Ontario must step in to act," said World Animal Protection Campaign Director Melissa Matlow.

Key Points: 
  • That is horrifying and the Government of Ontario must step in to act," said World Animal Protection Campaign Director Melissa Matlow.
  • "Marineland has lost the trust of the public and has no business caring for animals."
  • Most recently, Marineland was found guilty under Ontario's animal welfare legislation for failing to comply with an order related to the care of three young black bears.
  • "Enough is enough - Marineland is the prime example of Ontario's broken system of regulations of animal attractions," added Matlow.

IMMOTION PREMIERES THE GREAT MIGRATION VR EXPERIENCE AT AZA MID-YEAR MEETING

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Lion, VR, Great Migration, Education, Travel, Conservation, Ecosystem, Animal, Climate change, Seven Natural Wonders, Virtual reality, Hunting

MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- IMMOTION, the global leader in immersive edutainment, is thrilled to announce the premiere of its latest and most epic virtual reality film, The Great Migration, at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Mid-Year Meeting.

Key Points: 
  • The Great Migration is the most powerful film yet in IMMOTION's growing library.
  • IMMOTION's motion-based, 360º VR technology immerses viewers in the incredible journey of over 2 million animals as they travel between Tanzania's Serengeti and Kenya's Maasai Mara reserves.
  • In The Great Migration, IMMOTION brings conservation education into clear focus.
  • The Great Migration is the most powerful film experience yet in its growing library and will be distributed to its zoo partners around the world.

Pianist-Composer Yelena Eckemoff Takes an Intriguing New Direction with "Romance of the Moon," To Be Released May 10 by L&H Production

Retrieved on: 
Monday, March 18, 2024
Cloud, Immersion, Forget me not, Myspace, Amaranthe discography, Somatosensory system, Shadow, Lion, Jason Figgis, Life, Ear, Moon, Imagination, Poetry, Gold, Music, L&H, Multimedia, Bulgarelli, Moscow Conservatory

RICHMOND, Calif., March 18, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Pianist-composer-conceptualist Yelena Eckemoff tries something a little bit different—but no less cerebral and audacious—with "Romance of the Moon," set for a May 10 release on her own L&H Production label. Always a multimedia thinker, Eckemoff has previously made albums that incorporate her visual art as well as stories, poems, and concepts from her own imagination. This time, she presents a suite of compositions inspired by the great Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, as interpreted by the formidable Italian ensemble that includes bassist Luca Bulgarelli, drummer Stefano Bagnoli, guitarist Riccardo Bertuzzi, and world-renowned trumpet icon Paolo Fresu.

Key Points: 
  • Always a multimedia thinker, Eckemoff has previously made albums that incorporate her visual art as well as stories, poems, and concepts from her own imagination.
  • I translated the Lorca texts into Italian so the musicians would know exactly what every composition is about.
  • That's not to say, however, that Eckemoff's pieces are any less tightly intertwined with the Lorca poems that inspired them.
  • Yelena Eckemoff was born in Moscow, where she started playing by ear and composing music when she was four.