IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Comizzoli, P.; Crosier, A.E.; Songsasen, N.; Szykman Gunter, M.; Howard, J.G.; Wildt, D.E. | |
| Advances in reproductive science for wild carnivore conservation | |
| 2009 Reproduction in Domestic Animals (44): 47-52 | |
Knowledge about reproduction is critical for predicting the viability of wildlife populations in nature and for managing breeding programmes in captivity. Intensive species-based studies are the priority, because reproductive mechanisms are extraordinarily diverse, even within the same taxonomic family. Carnivores deserve more attention as such species are highly vulnerable to environmental change and human persecution. The present review provides contemporary illustrations of how reproductive science is contributing to understand unique reproductive mechanisms that are both of fundamental and applied interest. In the case of the endangered African wild dog (_Lycaon pictus_) free-living in South Africa, noninvasive faecal corticosteroid assessments have yielded new insights about the impact of animal relocation and reintroduction on adaptive responses, reproductive fitness and survival. For the maned wolf (_Chrysocyon brachyurus_), advances have been made in characterizing and comparing reproductive traits in free-ranging vs captive individuals. For the cheetah (_Acinonyx jubatus_), recent studies have focused on the cryosensitivity of sperm and the ability to develop a fieldfriendly sperm cryo-method. The by-product has been a largescale frozen repository of sperm from wild-caught cheetahs useful for infusing new genes into ex situ populations. Finally, rigorous, multi-disciplinary and cross-institutional reproductive studies of the black-footed ferret (_Mustela nigripes_), including the use of artificial insemination, have contributed to the remarkable recovery and restoration of this species, once on the brink of extinction. In summary, advances in reproductive science are not necessarily related to 'assisted breeding'. However, understanding the unique ways of carnivore reproduction greatly contributes to species management and conservation. |
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