LaCONES

The ambitious international project Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) was launched in 1998 by the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). Project envisaged to help conserve the fast disappearing big cats and preserve genetic diversity of selected species of animals. The methods used to conserve and propagate these species are artificial insemination, in vitro fertilisation, transfer of embryo and finally cloning. As part of this project, artificial insemination of big cats was tried for the first time. Between April 2000 and January 2001, four lionesses were artificially inseminated 12 times while three such trials were also done in the case of a female leopard. But CCMB did not get any success in terms of obtaining pregnancy following insemination.Success had come with the birth of a live fawn by Black Buck artificially inseminated b non-surgical intra-vaginal insemination.

source: www.csir.res.in/External/Heads/Blacky-CCMB.pdf