3 APPLICATION OF LAPAROSCOPIC OVIDUCTAL ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION FOR CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT OF BRAZILIAN OCELOTS AND AMUR TIGERS

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 116 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Lambo ◽  
H. L. Bateman ◽  
W. F. Swanson
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Artificial Insemination ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Panthera Tigris ◽  
Motile Sperm ◽  
Amur Tiger ◽  
Viable Offspring ◽  
Offspring Production ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Reproductive Techniques

The Brazilian ocelot (Leopardus pardalis mitis) and Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) are 2 iconic cat species that are becoming increasingly imperiled in the wild. Although both felids are managed in North American zoos by species survival plans (SSP), their long-term sustainability has proven difficult through captive breeding alone, necessitating the development and application of assisted reproductive techniques. Our recent progress using laparoscopic oviducal artificial insemination (LO-AI) in domestic cats (Conforti et al. 2013 Biol. Reprod. 89, 1–9) suggested that this approach could help improve reproductive management of nondomestic felids. In this study, our objectives were to (1) assess ovarian and endocrine responses to 2 exogenous gonadotropin regimens in ocelots and Amur tigers, and (2) investigate fertility and offspring production following LO-AI with freshly collected and/or frozen–thawed semen in both felid species. Female ocelots (n = 13) and Amur tigers (n = 10), housed at 16 North American zoos and recommended for breeding by the Ocelot and Tiger SSP, were treated with 2 different eCG/porcine LH (pLH) regimens (400 or 600 IU of eCG, 3000 IU of pLH, ocelots; 750 or 1000 IU of eCG, 10 000 IU of pLH, tigers). Ovarian responses were evaluated laparoscopically at 39 to 45 h post-pLH, and ovulatory females were inseminated using low numbers of freshly collected or frozen–thawed spermatozoa (≤5 million motile sperm/oviduct). Serially collected fecal samples from each female were lyophilized, extracted, and assessed via enzyme immunoassay for oestrogen and progesterone metabolite profiles. Most ocelots (11/13, 85%) and tigers (7/10, 70%) ovulated following gonadotropin treatment, with no difference (P > 0.05) between eCG dosages in mean (± s.e.m.) follicle or corpus luteum (CL) number in ocelots (11.5 ± 4.2 follicles, 2.8 ± 1.0 CL, 400 IU of eCG; 9.9 ± 5.2 follicles, 3.1 ± 1.3 CL, 600 IU of eCG) or tigers (9.0 ± 4.6 follicles, 4.0 ± 2.8 CL, 750 IU of eCG; 12.7 ± 4.4 follicles, 6.0 ± 1.7 CL, 1000 IU of eCG). Similarly, peak fecal hormone concentrations did not differ (P > 0.05) between regimens, except for slightly greater (P ≤ 0.05) progesterone levels for 10 days post-treatment with the higher eCG dose in tigers. Independent t-tests were used for all statistical calculations. One Brazilian ocelot and 1 Amur tiger conceived following LO-AI with freshly collected semen (10 × 106 motile sperm, ocelot; 0.15 × 106 motile sperm, tiger), with each producing 1 viable offspring after an 83-day and 103-day gestation, respectively. These births represent the second ocelot and first tiger produced by LO-AI. Our findings indicate that high and low eCG dosages may be equivalent and that viable offspring can be produced following LO-AI with relatively low sperm numbers in both species. Further refinement of ovarian synchronization and semen cryopreservation methods may be necessary for LO-AI to be applied routinely for ocelot and tiger conservation efforts. Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Riverbanks Zoo & Garden and Minnesota Zoo; with thanks to Ocelot & Tiger SSP, and participating zoos).

scholarly journals Can Zoos Ever Be Big Enough for Large Wild Animals? A Review Using an Expert Panel Assessment of the Psychological Priorities of the Amur Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) as a Model Species

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1536
Author(s):  
Jake Stuart Veasey
Keyword(s):  
Expert Panel ◽  
Panthera Tigris ◽  
Amur Tiger ◽  
Habitat Size ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Panthera Tigris Altaica ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Management Paradigms ◽  
The Impact

The ecology of large, wide-ranging carnivores appears to make them vulnerable to conservation challenges in the wild and welfare challenges in captivity. This poses an ethical dilemma for the zoo community and supports the case that there is a need to reconsider prevailing management paradigms for these species in captivity. Whilst the welfare challenges wide ranging carnivores face have been attributed to reduced ranging opportunities associated with the decreased size of captive habitats, attempts to augment wild carnivore welfare in captivity typically focus on behaviours linked to hunting. Thus far, this has yet to result in the systematic elimination of signs of compromised welfare amongst captive carnivores. Here an assessment is carried out to identify the likely welfare priorities for Amur tigers, which, as one of the widest ranging terrestrial carnivores, serves as an excellent exemplar for species experiencing extreme compression of their ranging opportunities in captivity. These priorities are then used to consider novel strategies to address the welfare challenges associated with existing management paradigms, and in particular, attempt to overcome the issue of restricted space. The insights generated here have wider implications for other species experiencing substantive habitat compression in captivity. It is proposed here that the impact of habitat compression on captive carnivore welfare may not be a consequence of the reduction in habitat size per se, but rather the reduction in cognitive opportunities that likely covary with size, and that this should inform strategies to augment welfare.

220 LIVE BIRTH OF A MOHOR GAZELLE (GAZELLA DAMA MHORR) CALF FOLLOWING INTRAUTERINE INSEMINATION OF MOTHER WITH FROZEN - THAWED SEMEN

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 218 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Garde ◽  
M. Gomendio ◽  
G. Espeso ◽  
E. R. S. Roldan
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Artificial Insemination ◽  
Intrauterine Insemination ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Egg Yolk ◽  
Freezing And Thawing ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Reproductive Techniques

Gazella dama mhorr is an endangered species, and no animals have been observed in the wild since 1968. Assisted reproductive techniques have been used to propagate endangered species. However, no live offspring has been produced after cryopreservation of semen from gazelle species. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate whether cryopreserved Mohor gazelle spermatozoa can fertilize in vivo after artificial insemination. Semen was collected by electroejaculation from four males and centrifuged at 700g for 5 min at room temperature. The supernatant was discarded, and the semen pellet was resuspended with a TEST-1% egg yolk diluent containing 6% glycerol to provide 400 � 106 spermatozoa/mL. The extended semen was loaded into 0.25-mL plastic straws, cooled slowly to 5�C, and equilibrated at 5�C for 2 h. Straws were frozen in nitrogen vapors for 10 min and then plunged into liquid nitrogen. After thawing (37�C, 30 s), the effects of cryopreservation on sperm motility and acrosomal integrity were examined. Percentage of motile sperm in fresh samples was 88.7 � 3.8% (mean � SEM), decreased (P < 0.0001) to 58.7 � 3.8% after freezing and thawing, and then to 40.0 � 3.8% after 120 min incubation at 37�C. Spermatozoa with normal acrosomes decreased (P < 0.0001) after freezing and thawing (from 94.5 � 4.2% to 56.0 � 4.2%), but did not significantly decrease after sperm incubation. Frozen spermatozoa from two males were used in an intrauterine insemination trial. Estrus of females (n = 15) was synchronized with controlled internal drug release (CIDR, InterAg, Hamilton, New Zealand). Single CIDRs (type G, 330 mg progesterone/device) were inserted intravaginally for a total of 13 days. On Day 10, devices were replaced in each animal and all females received an injection of prostaglandin F2� (PGF2�; 125 mg/female). At CIDR withdrawal, females received 250-300 IU equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG: Folligon; Intervet, Salamanca, Spain). After anesthesia with an intravenous injection of xylazine hydrochloride (Rompun; Bayer, Madrid, Spain; 0.8 mg/kg live weight) and ketamine hydrochloride (Imalgene; Leti & Merieux, Madrid, Spain; 2.0 mg/kg live weight), eight females were inseminated with 100 � 106 frozen-thawed spermatozoa 56-57 h after removal of the CIDRs, and seven were inseminated after 64-65 h. Females were inseminated directly into the uterus using laparoscopy. Anesthesia was reversed with yohimbine hydrochloride (0.3 mg/kg live weight). One female in the second group became pregnant. After a 202-day gestation, the female gave birth to one healthy Mohor gazelle male calf. These results demonstrate for the first time the successful use of frozen-thawed semen by means of artificial insemination for the rescue of endangered gazelle species. However, our results reveal that a number of unresolved technical problems remain to be addressed. This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (REN2003-1587).

Pyospermia and spermophagy in semen of the red wolf

1993 ◽  
Vol 51 ◽  
pp. 332-333
Author(s):  
James K. Koehler ◽  
Carrol C. Platz ◽  
Will Waddell ◽  
Michael H. Jones
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Endangered Species ◽  
Artificial Insemination ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Electron Microscopic Examination ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Canis Rufus ◽  
Red Wolf ◽  
In The Wild

The red wolf (Canis rufus) inhabited the Southeastern United States until the early 1900's when aggressive hunting and a shrinking primitive habitat virtually eradicated the species. C. rufus was certified as an endangered species in 1967 and was essentially extinct in the wild by 1980. About 200 animals are preserved in zoos and captive breeding facilities where efforts are underway to increase the stock. Since a shrinking gene pool and captive stress may reduce reproductive vigor, we undertook an electron microscopic examination of red wolf semen used for artificial insemination at the Graham, WA breeding facility of the Point Defiance Zoo.Animals were anesthetized with 175 mg. Telazol, IM before electroejaculation using a rectal probe Semen was washed in PBS prior to fixation in 1.25% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M cacodylate, post fixed in OsO4, dehydrated in alcohol and propylene oxide and embedded in Epon 812. Some samples were incubated in capacitation or maintenance media for several hours before fixation as above.

scholarly journals Behavioral-psychological motivations encoded in the vocal repertoire of captive Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) cubs

BMC Zoology ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuanmin Kong ◽  
Dan Liu ◽  
Atul Kathait ◽  
Yonglu Cui ◽  
Qi Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Vocal Repertoire ◽  
Panthera Tigris ◽  
Amur Tiger ◽  
Panthera Tigris Altaica ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Context Specific

Abstract Background The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is the largest and one of the most endangered cats in the world. In wild and captive cats, communication is mainly dependent on olfaction. However, vocal communication also plays a key role between mother and cubs during the breeding period. How cubs express their physiological and psychological needs to their mother and companions by using acoustic signals is little known and mainly hindered by the difficult process of data collection. Here, we quantitatively summarized the vocal repertoire and behavioral contexts of captive Amur tiger cubs. The aim of the present work was to investigate the behavioral motivations of cub calls by considering influential factors of age, sex, and rearing experiences. Results The 5335 high-quality calls from 65 tiger cubs were classified into nine call types (Ar-1, Ar-2, Er, eee, Chuff, Growl, Hiss, Haer, and Roar) produced in seven behavioral contexts. Except for Er, eight of the nine call types were context-specific, related to Play (Ar-2, eee, and Roar), Isolation (Ar-1), Offensive Context (Haer, Growl, and Hiss), and a friendly context (Chuff). Conclusions The results suggest that cubs are not quiet, but instead they express rich information by emitting various call types, which are probably crucial for survival in the wild. We herein provide the first detailed spectrogram classification to indicate vocal repertoires of calls and their coding with respect to behavioral contexts in Amur tiger cubs, and we pave the steps for revealing their social communication system, which can be applied for conservation of populations. These insights can help tiger managers or keepers to improve the rearing conditions by understanding the feline cubs’ inner status and needs by monitoring their vocal information expressions and exchanges.

scholarly journals The Plight of Swayne's Hartebeest

Oryx ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 491-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Lewis ◽  
R. T. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Domestic Animals ◽  
Breeding Group ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Translocation Experiments ◽  
Main Population

Swayne's hartebeest, a race found only in Ethiopia, has declined seriously in recent years, and there are now thought to be fewer than 700 left. The main population at Senkele – under 400 in May, 1976 – has to compete for grazing with the domestic animals of the Galla people – 13,000 in the same month. Translocation experiments have not been successful, and the authors, who in late 1975 and 1976 made a study of the situation, believe that, while every effort to establish a reserve in the wild should be made, the threat of extinction is so great that a captive breeding group should be established immediately in a European or North American Zoo.

scholarly journals Distinctive features of the morphometric parameters of the heart of the Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) in natural habitat and in captivity

2021 ◽  
Vol 258 ◽  
pp. 04010
Author(s):  
R.A. Zhilin ◽  
I.P. Korotkova ◽  
E.N. Lyubchenko ◽  
A.A. Kozhushko ◽  
D.V. Kapralov
Keyword(s):  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Panthera Tigris ◽  
Amur Tiger ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
Evolutionary Forces ◽  
Panthera Tigris Altaica ◽  
Diagnostic Center ◽  
Internal Structures ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild

In the process of working with anatomical material supplied to the Animal Disease Diagnostic Center of the Primorskaya State Agricultural Academy, in the order of forensic examinations, a characteristic feature consisting in differences in the structure of the organs of animals living in natural habitat and in captivity was revealed. Evolutionary forces are reflected in the adaptability of animals to survive in the wild, honing adaptive characteristics and sweeping away all unnecessary things. Studying previously published works on the topic in question, it can be noted that the heart of animals in their natural habitat is slender, with a strong left side and relatively weak right side. As a rule, trabecular structures in such animals are smoothed, maximally “built” into the walls of the heart chambers. It is not often possible to find crossbeams as an element of myoendocardial formations in wild animals. However, for the internal structures of the human heart and domesticated animal species, this is not uncommon. There is an opinion that additional muscle-trabecular elements, such as: muscle crossbeams [3]; additional papillary muscles; pectinate muscles of the atria, located in a storey network - take part in the intensification of heart contractions and the creation of a swirling blood flow, providing its translational-rotational movement. This process can be considered an adaptive response to a decrease in physical activity during the evolution of a species, formed from birth to death of an organism. In the course of postmortem examinations, we examined the heart of a four-year-old female Amur tiger raised in captivity with the distinctive features of myoendocardial formations in comparison with other individuals of this species.

scholarly journals Reproductive Anatomy of Chondrichthyans: Notes on Specimen Handling and Sperm Extraction. II. Sharks and Chimaeras

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2191
Author(s):  
Pablo García-Salinas ◽  
Victor Gallego ◽  
Juan F. Asturiano
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Insemination ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Specimen Handling ◽  
Viable Sperm ◽  
Abdominal Massage ◽  
Reproductive Anatomy ◽  
Conservation Projects ◽  
Breeding Techniques

The chondrichthyan fishes, which comprise sharks, rays, and chimaeras, are one of the most threatened groups of vertebrates on the planet. Given this situation, an additional strategy for the protection of these species could be the ex situ conservation projects developed in public aquaria and research centers. Nevertheless, to increase sustainability and to develop properly in situ reintroduction strategies, captive breeding techniques, such as sperm extraction and artificial insemination, should be developed. These techniques are commonly used in other threatened species and could be also used in chondrichthyans. However, the different reproductive morphologies found in this group can complicate both processes. Therefore, a comparison of the reproductive anatomy of eight distinct chondrichthyans, with an emphasis on those important differences when performing sperm extraction or artificial insemination, is carried out herein. Sharks and chimaeras belonging to the Scyliorhinidae, Carcharhinidae, Centrophoridae, Etmopteridae, Hexanchidae, and Chimaeridae families were obtained from commercial fisheries, public aquaria, and stranding events. In addition, the process of obtaining viable sperm samples through cannulation, abdominal massage, and oviducal gland extraction is described in detail for both living and dead animals.

scholarly journals Captive breeding of the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in North American zoos (1871-1986)

Zoo Biology ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie Marker ◽  
Stephen J. O'Brien
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Acinonyx Jubatus

scholarly journals Captive-reared migratory monarch butterflies show natural orientation when released in the wild

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alana A. E. Wilcox ◽  
Amy E. M. Newman ◽  
Nigel E. Raine ◽  
D. Ryan Norris
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
Release Site ◽  
Flight Simulator ◽  
Monarch Butterflies ◽  
The Public ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Automated Telemetry ◽  
Proper Orientation ◽  
Captive Rearing

AbstractEastern North American migratory monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) have faced sharp declines over the last two decades. Although captive rearing has been used as an important tool for engaging the public and supplementing conservation efforts, a recent study that tested monarchs in a flight simulator suggested that captive-reared monarchs lose their capacity to orient southward during fall migration to their Mexican overwintering sites. We raised offspring of wild-caught monarchs on swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) and, after eclosion, individuals were either tested in a flight simulator or radio-tracked in the wild using array of over 100 automated telemetry towers. While only 33% (7/39) of monarchs tested in the flight simulator showed strong southeast to southwest orientation, 97% (28/29) of the radio-tracked individuals were detected by automated towers south or southeast of the release site, up to 200 km away. Our results suggest that, though captive rearing of monarch butterflies may cause temporary disorientation, proper orientation is likely re-established after exposure to natural skylight cues.

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