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Title: A study into artifical insemination in captive elephants
Author: Priya Bapodra
Establishment: Royal Veterinary College
Summary: The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the different components of the Articial insemination (AI) process and to demonstrate the elephants' reproductive cycle using hormonal data obtained from Colchester Zoo and Whipsnade Wild Animal Park. Analysis of the cycles was used to determine whether ovulation can be predicted from a cow's cycle history, therefore, indicating the correct time for insemination.
Complete article:
Artificial insemination (AI) in elephants is becoming a very important supplement to natural mating due to few captive females having the opportunity to be able to conceive naturally. It is essential that the process of AI is studied further and limiting factors investigated to improve success rates as the captive Asian elephant population is in decline.
Experts on elephants and specifically on AI were approached for information regarding captive breeding programmes and hormonal data. Urinary pregnanetriol results from nine cows, measured over different time periods, were obtained from Whipsnade Wild Animal Park and Colchester Zoo. Graphs produced for each of the twenty-five cycles were analysed to record different variables, most importantly cycle length. Cycle length was found to be fairly consistent within and between individuals. However, as the timing for insemination has to be very precise, the variation between individuals’ cycle length was too large for only cycle length to be used to accurately predict ovulation. Detection of the anovulatory luteinizing hormone surge and ultrasound scan of the reproductive tract are still necessary to accurately predict the time of ovulation. Although mean cycle lengths cannot be used to time inseminations, they can be used to manage natural matings as the degree of variation is small enough to be able to estimate the time of oestrus.
The main limiting factors were found to be the cost of the procedure and the absence of enough captive semen donors. The literature also stated that a large proportion of captive females are not being routinely hormonally monitored to assess cyclicity. This needs to be encouraged if the captive population is to have a chance of becoming self-sustaining.
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