Sperm frozen to preserve devils

THE eggs and sperm of Tasmanian devils have been collected and frozen for the first time by scientists at Taronga Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo.

With the species threatened by a virulent facial cancer, scientists hope to carry out an artificial insemination trial among captive devils to try to ensure that they do not become extinct like the Tasmanian tiger.

A reproductive biologist Dr Tamara Keeley told ABC online: ''These techniques can be tricky to develop because every species has their uniqueness in terms of what the sperm looks like, how it functions, even the size and number that are available in each species.

''We've managed, for both sperm and eggs, to freeze them down successfully and end up with viable cells after the freezing process.'' The sperm and eggs are collected from animals that are humanely euthanased because they will die of the disease anyway.      Read Full