First IVF Bison Born In Colorado From Yellowstone Herd: CSU

FORT COLLINS, CO -- A female bison calf, released into public lands in northern Colorado this month, is the first bison born using in vitro fertilization, Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences reported. This technology could provide a solution for conservationists seeking to protect animals facing extinction, like the Northern white rhinoceros in Africa, the university said in a press release.

Eight bison — four calves and their mothers — were released in mid-March, bringing the total number of animals in the Laramie Foothills Bison Conservation Herd to 44, the school said.

A 10-month-old calf known as IVF 1 is the first bison calf in the world to be conceived using reproductive material from animals removed from Yellowstone National Park.

“It’s a really good feeling to see a herd grow and to know that the animals from our research are going to have a real impact, not only in our herd but as we produce animals in this herd and help support other conservation herds,” said Jennifer Barfield, a reproductive physiologist with the CSU Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory

Read more at Colorado State University.

Image via CSU College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences