A Genetic Management Toolkit: Developing Semen freezing and Artificial Insemination in the African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) (Old ID 22124)

Chief Investigator

The African wild dog is an endangered exotic canid with an estimated 6,600 animals remaining in highly fragmented populations in the wild. Artificial Insemination (AI) combined with sperm freezing is widely regarded as one of the most powerful forms of assisted breeding technologies for the preservation, distribution and improvement of animal genetics, and offers tremendous potential for the genetic management of this socially complex species. Using captive African wild dogs, this project will test different sperm freezing protocols and develop AI techniques, so as to establish a high quality semen bank for the species. The effect of dog appeasing pheromones as an alernative method to mitigate stress and intra-pack aggression in captivity will also be validated.

14 May 2015 - 01 May 2019

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