Embryo transplant to preserve
wild yaks launched in Tibet
LHASA, Nov. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Zoologists in the Tibet Autonomous
Region have launched a major embryo transplant program that will
hopefully preserve and improve the congenital quality of yaks, a
species native to the Qinghai-Tibet plateau.
The program is based on a state-of-the-art biological technology
that involves the transplant of embryos from robust, top quality
she yaks raised especially for the research into the wombs of other
she yaks to ensure quality of the calves, according to sources with
the Tibet Regional Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry.
The research is being carried out between the Tibet Yak Research
and Development Center and the zoological institute of the Chinese
Academy of Sciences, based in Kunming, capital of southwest China's
Yunnan Province.
This is the first time for the embryo transplant technology to be
used on yaks, says Dr. Ji Qiumei, who heads the research program.
She said the technology has been widely used in reproducing oxen,
sheep and goats in China.
She expects the research will preserve the rare highland species,
improve its pedigree and therefore boost local animal husbandry.
The Qinghai-Tibet plateau, known as the "roof of the world",
ishome to about 14 million yaks, or 95 percent of the world's total
14.7 million, according to statistics released at last week's fourth
international conference on yaks.
The plateau spans across Tibet, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
and the provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan, with an
average altitude above 3,000 meters.
Tibetan yaks were formerly raised and used exclusively for transportation
purposes. Today, with easier access to highways andmotor vehicles,
yaks are raised more for the wool, dairy and beef processing industries.
Experts say yak beef contains high protein, low fatness and is
used as a tonic in Tibetan medicine. Yak beef and fur have been
sold to many parts of the world, including Germany, Austria and
China's Hong Kong
Source: www.en.shac.gov.cn
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