POTENTIAL, OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF LANYU MINIATURE PIG

摘要

Lanyu miniature pig is conserved at Taitung Animal Propagation Station (TAPS), a branch of Taiwan Livestock Research Institute (TLRI) since 1980 with a founder herd of 4 male and 16 female pigs from a solitary island Lanyu (Orchid Island). Pig is physiologically and anatomically similar to that of the human, and its miniature size is a good size for the development of animal model on biomedical research. Recently, four selected breeds have been derived from Lanyu Pig and named officially during the period of 2003 to 2011. TAPS was accredited by AAALAC on animal care facilities and programs in 2013. Pig model on heart disease, tissue engineering, medical device, new therapy development, and organ transplantation has been conducted with the usage of Lanyu Pig. As per the present terms, 20 female pigs of Lanyu Pig and 70 percent of the designed throughput of pregnancy of the whole project will be off-loaded for establishment of a breeding herd in each cooperative institute, which will be helpful to promote Lanyu Pig development and to input global contribution of native genetic resources.