Kris HollandNorthamptonshire
Moulton College
Dr Alice Clark said Nature’s SAFE would work with Moulton College to further its conservation efforts
A college said it was “delighted” to announce a partnership with an animal conservation charity.
Moulton College, near Northampton, said it was working with Nature’s SAFE as part of an effort to help protect endangered species.
Led by conservation scientists and animal fertility experts, Nature’s SAFE works to preserve living cells and tissues from threatened animals, ensuring their genetic material is available to support future conservation and restoration programmes.
Dean Sharman Frost, the college’s animal facilities manager, said it would work closely with the charity to help “safeguard species for generations to come”.
He said: “As a college, we play a key role in animal welfare education and conservation, and our animal welfare facilities are home to a wide range of different species, from cockroaches to meerkats.
“We are passionate about safeguarding endangered species, so we are delighted to have become a partner of the Nature’s SAFE conservation network.”
Moulton College offers a range of animal welfare, veterinary and zoology courses from Level 1 through to degree level.
The college houses more than 140 different species at its Animal Welfare Centre, and by working with Nature’s SAFE is set to expand its genetic archive further.
Moulton College
Dean Sharman Frost from Moulton College shared a hope the partnership would safeguard endangered species
Dr Alice Clark, conservation scientist at Nature’s SAFE, said: “Around 18,000 animal species worldwide are formally recognised as being at risk of extinction – the real number is likely higher.
“By banking living cells and working with managed breeding programmes, Nature’s SAFE aims to give conservationists a vital tool to restore genetic diversity in dwindling animal populations, improving their health, resilience to climate change, and chances of long-term survival.”
The charity works with more than 90 zoos, wildlife parks, and rescue centres across the UK to capture samples from species at risk, using advanced cryopreservation techniques to preserve cell structure and viability for future use.
To date, the charity has preserved samples from more than 350 different species of mammals, reptiles, fish, amphibians, birds, and coral, including the Sumatran tiger, the ring-tailed lemur, and the Eurasian red squirrel.
Moulton College
Moulton College has an established background in animal welfare, veterinary and zoology courses