THE LION AND THE LAB
Two lion cubs have made history as the first in the world to be conceived through nonsurgical artificial insemination. A lioness whelped the cubs on August 25 at the Ukutula Conservation Centre & Biobank in the North West, which specialises in genetic mammal research and predator conservation. The breakthrough was made by a team of scientists from the University of Pretoria who are involved in a research study on the reproductive physiology of the female African lion. Dr Imke Lüders, left, and Dr Isabel Callealta, a Spanish veterinarian and PhD candidate at the university, conduct an ultrasound on the pregnant lioness at the Ukutula Conservation Center and Biobank in North West.