A leopard shark is released back into the aquarium after being artificially inseminated with wild leopard shark sperm at the Sydney Aquarium (Saeed KHAN)
Saeed KHAN/AFP/AFP
By AFP - Agence France Presse
Scientists artificially inseminate leopard sharks to increase diversity
A black and cream leopard shark enters a state of hypnotic relaxation when scientists at the Sydney Aquarium carefully place it on its back in a small pool.
The shark, named Zimba, is one of the first captive leopard sharks in the world to be artificially inseminated with the sperm of wild sharks in a bid to increase populations worldwide.
If the process is successful, Zimba's shark pups will be sent to the Raja Ampat region of Indonesia, where the local population is on the verge of extinction due to unsustainable fishing practices and habitat destruction.
Artificial insemination allows sharks that would normally never interact to reproduce and increase genetic diversity, said SEA LIFE Australia and New Zealand regional coordinator Laura Simmons.
Simmons hopes that, in the end, the leopard shark population will be “genetically viable and able to maintain a self-sustaining population in the wild.”
This could take years, she told AFP, but “this is a step closer to where we need to be.”
The procedure is part of a worldwide leopard shark breeding program known as Star, which involves more than 60 conservation groups, aquariums, and government agencies.
Globally, around 37% of oceanic shark and ray species, including the leopard shark, are now listed as endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a global database for threatened species.
- The species belongs in the wild
Australia's leopard shark populations remain abundant and of less concern, and scientists hope they can help boost numbers in other regions.
Back in the Sydney Aquarium pool, Ocean Park Hong Kong's chief veterinarian Paolo Martelli inserts a metal tube filled with sperm from wild leopard sharks into Zimba's underside.
The shark is still in a natural state called tonic immobility - a relaxed condition that allows scientists to work without hurting themselves.
The whole process takes a few minutes, and everyone claps and cheers when it's over. Zimba is turned on his stomach and swims around the pool as if nothing had happened.
Martelli is using a technique he developed that has already been used successfully on other species, but this is the first time it has been used on leopard sharks.
“It's not simple,” he said.
Martelli and his team collected the sperm from wild leopard sharks off the coast of Queensland - which has a large shark population - and brought the precious cargo to Sydney.
Only three of the four samples collected survived the journey.
“This species belongs in outdoor habitats, not in a museum,” said Martelli.
But as the shark's habitat is dwindling, scientists need to lend a “helping hand” in the protection and conservation of this valuable species, he added.
“It's safe to say that sharks have suffered a lot in the last century.”
lec/djw/pbt
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