Siberian tigress inseminated at breeding center

HARBIN: Zoologists at the world's largest breeding base for Siberian tigers artificially inseminated a 4-year-old tigress on Saturday, kicking off the start of research on preserving the rare species through artificial insemination.

Experts at the China Henghedaozi Feline Breeding Center in Heilongjiang Province said that if Saturday's artificial insemination proved successful, the process would reduce inbreeding and genetic degeneration among Siberian tigers.

The sperm was taken from a healthy 7-year-old male that has been trained to live in the wild.