Prague zoo hopes rare lion insemination sows seed for survival

January 3, 2019

After two suitors failed to get a rare Asiatic lioness pregnant, Prague zoo now hopes that artificial insemination will finally plant the seed for her species' survival.

"Ginni, our female Asiatic lion from Gujarat in India, underwent artificial insemination on Wednesday evening," the zoo said in a statement on Thursday.

With some 600 Asiatic lions living in Gujarat and another 143 in European facilities, zoo director Miroslav Bobek said he held "great hope" in Prague's Asiatic lions to preserve the dwindling species on a global scale.

The zoo has been attempting to breed its three Asiatic lions from India since they arrived in 2015, so far with no success.

Read more at: 

Eight antelope euthanised following transfer from Europe to South African zoo

August 2014: The transfer of eight sitatunga antelope from Prague Zoo in the Czech Republic to Johannesburg Zoo in South Africa should have been cause for celebration. However, their arrival in South Africa was quickly followed by tragedy after authorities decided they need to be euthanised due to a restriction on the movement of antelope species into the region from Europe.

According to wildlife conservation charity Born Free, the antelope had already spent five days in cramped conditions in their travel crates with little access to water before their fate was decided shortly after being unloaded from the plane.

The incident has been further complicated after Prague Zoo, a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), issued a statement indicating that Johannesburg Zoo had planned to send the sitatunga on to a private breeder. Johannesburg Zoo is a member of the Pan African Association of Zoos and Aquaria (PAZAAB) and WAZA.

Continued ...