A gene bank has opened for the island’s domestic animals. Analysts say it will help preserve the genetic purity of the Jeju black cow, and horse, which have been designated natural monuments. Joseph Kim reports.
[SLUG]
Jeju Provincial Livestock Institute
‘Capable of producing 10,000 black cows’

These are Jeju’s native black cows, designated as a natural monument.
The Jeju Provincial Livestock Institute has a foundation that could produce up to 10,000 black cows using their eggs. They freeze the sperm of the black cows at -196° Celsius which are supplied together with embryos to the farms.?

[INTERVIEW]
Bae Kyung-hoon / Researcher, Jeju Livestock Research Institute
To propagate the Jeju black cow, we took cell samples, and then froze and thawed eggs so that we could check the survival rate.
<인터뷰:배경훈/제주도축산진흥원 연구사>
"제주 흑우의 번식과 증식을 위해서 생식세포를 채취하고 동결해서
해동 후에 생존율을 확인하는 실험을 한 것입니다."

At a cost of ?two billion won, a gene bank opened this year - a special facility for the industrialization of Jeju's native domestic animals and research on the preservation of the best breed.

It stores genetic material such as frozen sperm and embryos and accumulates information on the genetic traits of the black cows.

[camera]
Ko Moon-su

Through the systematic management of genetic resources, it is possible to study lineage and breed.

[slug]
Permanent storage possible

In regard to the frozen storage, it is possible to restore lost genetic resources threatened by virulent infections such as foot and mouth disease and avian influenza.

[INTERVIEW]
Bae Kyung-hoon/ Researcher, Jeju Livestock Research Institute
Basically, there is not much systematic information on establishing genetic types and reproductive rates. It is necessary to have a gene bank since animals are bred in limited numbers on the island.
<인터뷰:배경훈/제주도축산진흥원 연구사>
"기초적으로 유전적 타입 정립이나 번식능력을 체계적으로 정리하고 공시된 자료가 많지 않습니다. 제주는 도내에서만 제한돼서 사육되기 때문에 (유전자은행이) 필요한 부분입니다."

[reporter]
Joseph Kim

The Jeju Provincial Livestock Institute is also moving forward with a plan to study other Jeju native animals such as the Jeju dog and Jeju chickens as part of an effort to have them designated as a natural monument alongside the Jeju black cow and the Jeju horse.

Joseph Kim KCTV