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ZSL partners with living biobank to save endangered wildlife
Nature’s SAFE has already successfully stored live cells from multiple endangered species through its partnerships.

The bank stores the living genetics of some of the planet's most threatened species.

ZSL London Zoo has announced a partnership with Nature's Safe, one of Europe's first Living Biobanks, to preserve the live genetics of some of the planet's most endangered species.

Through the partnership, ZSL will provide samples from post-mortems carried out at ZSL's London and Whipsnade conservation zoos.

From southern white rhinos to critically-endangered mountain chicken frogs, the samples will be sent to Nature's SAFE dedicated laboratory in Shropshire, where they will be processed and stored in a living state at -196°C.

Once thawed, the cells could one day be used in cell culture or assisted reproductive technologies to continue the existence of threatened species and maintain genetic diversity within the gene pool. 

ZSL senior vet, Dr Taina Strike, commented: “With so many animals at risk of extinction, outside-of-the-box thinking and collaboration is vital for the preservation of threatened species. For almost 200 years, international conservation charity ZSL has been at the forefront of wildlife science and conservation and we'll continue to explore all avenues to keep one step ahead of the threats facing animals across the world.”

Nature’s SAFE has already successfully stored live cells from multiple endangered species through its partnerships, including the black rhino, Asian elephant, eastern bongo and Javan green magpie.

Professor Suzannah Williams, chief scientist at Nature’s SAFE and founder of the Rhino Fertility Project at Oxford University, said: “Nature’s SAFE is acting now to preserve species before they are lost using both established methodologies and exploring the most promising innovations in assisted reproductive technologies; our partnerships are critical to achieving impact now and, in the future.

"It’s thanks to passionate organisations such as ZSL, that we can continue to develop innovative strategies to protect the incredible species on our planet.”

Image (C) ZSL London Zoo.

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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News Shorts
Germany livestock import ban lifted

The UK government has amended its ban on the import of livestock, meat and dairy products from Germany.

Defra said the decision follows 'rigorous technical assessment' of the measures applied and the current situation. "If the situation changes, we will not hesitate to take necessary action in response to the FMD outbreaks in the European Union to protect our domestic biosecurity," it said.

The ban was implemented in January following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) near Berlin. Personal imports of meat, milk and dairy products will remain in place at a country level.