Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!munnari.oz.au!metro!cluster!andrewt
From: andrewt@cs.su.oz (Andrew Taylor)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Reconstructing cells from DNA
Message-ID: <2317@cluster.cs.su.oz.au>
Date: 21 Apr 91 16:39:44 GMT
References: <1991Apr16.235422.20331@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> <1991Apr17.013059.7708@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca> <21567@crg5.UUCP>
Sender: news@cluster.cs.su.oz.au
Reply-To: andrewt@cluster.cs.su.oz (Andrew Taylor)
Organization: Basser Dept of Computer Science, University of Sydney, Australia
Lines: 18

In article <21567@crg5.UUCP> szabo@crg5.UUCP (Nick Szabo) writes:
> BTW, what is the current status of research on using host mothers of common
> species for endangered species?  I seem to remember some zoo had a common 
> tiger female giving birth to an endangered tiger a few years back, but
> I don't remember any of the details...

There is only one species of tiger. The zoo was presumably breeding 
a particular subspecies. Sounds likes it was transfering embryos to
other tigers. Most captive tigers are of mixed lineage.

Cross-species fostering has been used to good effect in several breeding
programs for endangered birds.

Re-introduction currently seems to me the biggest technical obstacle to
captive breeding programs. Still more difficult usually is removing the
causes for the decline of the species.

Andrew Taylor