Ira Pastor, ideaXme life sciences ambassador and founder of Bioquark, interviews Prof. Dr. Thomas Bernd Hildebrandt, Head of the Department of Reproduction Management at Leibniz-IZW and Professor of Wildlife Reproduction Medicine at Freie Universität Berlin.
Ira Pastor comments:
The “Sixth Mass Extinction” is a term for an ongoing extinction event of species during the present Holocene epoch (in more recent times sometimes called Anthropocene) as a result of human activity.
The included extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals, including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods.
With widespread degradation of highly biodiverse habitats, such as coral reefs and rain forests, as well as other areas, the current rate of extinction of species is estimated at 100 to 1,000 times higher than natural background rates.
The Holocene extinction includes the disappearance of large land animals, known as mega-fauna, which comprises the large or giant animals of an area, habitat, or geological period, and among living animals, the term mega-fauna is most commonly used for the largest extant terrestrial mammals, which include elephants, giraffes, hippopotami, rhinoceroses, and large bovines.
Dr. Thomas Bernd Hildebrandt
Prof. Dr. Thomas Bernd Hildebrandt heads the Department of Reproduction Management at Leibniz-IZW and is Professor of Wildlife Reproduction Medicine at Freie Universität Berlin.
Prof. Hildebrandt studied veterinary medicine at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, received his doctorate Summa Cum Laude from Freie Universität Berlin, and is certified as a zoo, wildlife and game veterinarian.
In his specialized field, reproduction biology, Prof. Hildebrandt is one of the pioneers of assisted reproduction in large mammals, including elephants, rhinos, big cats, and panda bears.
Prof. Hildebrandt is represented in a number of professional societies, is Honorary Professorial Fellow Life Sciences at Melbourne University, Research Associate of the Smithsonian Institution (National Zoological Park), Fellow of the Zoological Society of San Diego Zoo, Scientific Associate of the Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Conservation Fellow of the Zoological Society London and Veterinary Advisor for the European elephant Taxon Advisory Group.
On this episode we will hear from Prof. Hildebrandt about:
His educational and career background. What the global system for “de-endangerment” looks like. How the world decides what species, of the many “highly endangered,” to focus on? The general concept of “Conservation by Cellular Technologies.” The topic of neoteny (the prolongation of youth) and learnings for humans that come from mega-fauna social animal groups. What’s next in his research after saving the Northern White Rhino. His feelings about “de-extinction” work with the likes of Mammoths, Saber Tooth Cats, et cetera.
This interview is in American English
Credits: Ira Pastor interview video, text, and audio.
Follow Ira Pastor on Twitter: @IraSamuelPastor
If you liked this interview, be sure to check out our interview on Zoonotic diseases with the founder of EveryPig!
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