A new lion cub was born at a Singapore Zoo as the result of artificial insemination. Scientists are now reviewing the practice that was once heralded as a solution to the wildlife Conservation crisis, according to The Conversation.

Source: South China Morning Post/YouTube

Now, scientists are pointing to scientific success against a vanishing wildlife portfolio. Ultimately, our dependence on artificial insemination and other technology might cause humans to ignore the impending climate crisis and accompanying wildlife changes.

Technology isn’t a match for the lack of human behavior change that will stop habitat destruction, desertification, disease, hunting, and other harbingers of Climate change. Artificial insemination and other technologies can’t take the place of Conservation, argues The Conversation.

Two lion cubs were born via artificial insemination in South Africa in 2018. Imke Lueders,  a scientist at Ukutula Conservation Center, where the cubs were born said “having the first lion cubs ever born from artificial insemination in their natural range country, and not in a zoo overseas, is an important milestone for South Africa. Assisted reproduction techniques are another tool in our Conservation box, of course not a sole solution, but another technology that we can use to protect endangered species.”

Artificial insemination hasn’t stopped the decline of lion populations. The International Union for Conservation of Nature reports that over 40% of the wild lion population has disappeared in the last two decades.

Source: WWF UK/YouTube

Zoos are harmful to wildlife and do not help with conservation efforts, as they most commonly publicize. Animals are kept in small habitats and often suffer emotional distress. Furthermore, many of the animals in these “conservation” breeding programs won’t be returned to the wild and there is a low survival rate for those that do. Energy and resources need to be spent on conserving wild populations by combatting habitat destruction, which is one of the main causes of population decline for many wild animals.

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Read more about why zoos are harmful to society in One Green Planet:

• What Keeping Polar Bears in Zoos and Aquariums Does to These Animals Will Shock You
• Zookeeper Attacked by Tiger is Further Proof that Wild Animals Don’t Belong in Captivity
• Zoochosis and the Many Ways We Have Failed Zoo Animals
• Zoochosis: What Really Happens to Animals in Captivity (VIDEO)
• The Truth About the Lives of Animals in Captivity Versus the Wild
•  How Zoos are Distorting Our View of the Natural World
• These Were the 10 Worst U.S. Zoos for Elephants in 2017 – Let’s Change This In 2018! (VIDEO)
• 7 Lessons We Really Should Be Learning From Zoos
• Think Zoos Are Fun Places? You Need to Watch This Video
• Stunning Photos Showcase the Suffering of Animals in Zoos, Aquariums, and More

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