Freeze endangered species

Geneticist Oliver Ryder works at Frozen Zoo – Photo: CNN

In 1972, researcher Kurt Benirschke, working at the University of California San Diego (USA), began collecting skin samples of rare and endangered animals. Then, he moved the Frozen Zoo collection to the San Diego Zoo, California, USA.

Mr. Benirschke died in 2018, but his efforts are inherited. Currently, according to CNN, Frozen Zoo is the largest animal freezing warehouse in the world with specimens from more than 10,500 individuals of 1,220 species.

At the current rate of biodiversity loss, some scientists believe that preserving specimens of endangered species is no longer a visionary endeavor but a must.

“Now, with cells in the Frozen Zoo inventory, we can apply new techniques and technologies to broaden our understanding, learn about information that can help prevent endangered species from becoming extinct. extinct,” said Oliver Ryder, a geneticist at the San Diego Zoo.