Why in News?

• Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan today dedicated to the nation, the National Wildlife Genetic Resource Bank in the city.
• Genetic resources from 23 species of Indian wild animals have been collected and preserved.

Genetic Resource Bank:

• The state-of-the-art bank is equipped with sophisticated equipment to preserve the genetic resources that could be utilised to virtually resurrect an animal species in case it goes extinct.
• This facility would increase the collection of genetic resources from wildlife through collaboration with zoos in India
• The Genetic Resource Bank will store genetic material of Indian species. It will also help in protecting India’s biodiversity and environment.
• This would facilitate the exchange of genetic material between Indian zoos for maintaining genetic diversity and conservation management made accessible to scientists and wildlife managers for implementing conservation programmes.

Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES):

• The Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) is a dedicated laboratory of the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad.
• CCMB-LaCONES is the only laboratory in India that has developed methods for collection and cryopreservation of semen and oocytes from wildlife and successfully reproducing endangered blackbuck, spotted deer and Nicobar pigeons.
• Wildlife Genetic Resource Banking (GRB) is the systematic collection and preservation of tissues, sperm, eggs and embryos, genetic material (DNA/RNA).
• It helps prevent the loss of valuable individuals to the gene pool.

Reintroducing Indian Mouse Deer:

• The Telangana Forest Department, Central Zoo Authority, Nehru Zoological Park and CCMB have joined hands to conduct.
• The first-ever planned reintroduction of the Indian spotted chevrotain (Moschiola indica), also known as Indian mouse deer.
• This follows more than seven years of conservation breeding of the elusive species at a dedicated facility in the premises of Nehru Zoological Park.
• This helped increase the captive mouse deer population to around 230 individuals till March this year.