Koala was born with a new method of artificial insemination

Scientists on October 30 announced 3 koalas were reproduced by a new artificial insemination technology: Mixing sperm with a special solution to extend the shelf life.

Three of the eight koala bears, born on the Gold Coast in Queensland, were released for the first time yesterday. They are about 10-12 months old. All were fertilized thanks to the new reproductive measures mentioned above.

Steve Johnston, a reproductive biologist at the University of Queensland, said his team has applied technology to use koala semen shipped in Australia and even from abroad.

"We were able to dilute sperm to a level that allowed it to survive for a long time," Johnston said. "The next step is to use frozen sperm and dissolve frozen sperm into sperm banks".

(Photo: smh.com.au)

About 25 koala bears were born by artificial insemination with a success rate close to the natural mating method.

Koala is not the number 1 threatened species but is considered to be extinct because they are very lazy to have sex. The researchers also plan to create the world's first koala sperm bank to screen for disease samples.

MT