Abstract
SummaryThe population of snow leopards (Unciauncia) maintained in US zoos is no longer sustainable due to poor reproductive success. Our objective was to assess reproductive traits in male snow leopards and identify factors (markers of oxidative stress in seminal fluid, surveys of husbandry practices, gonadal and adrenocortical activity, dietary intake of various nutrients, and genetics) that may affect ejaculate traits and subsequent fertility. Ejaculates (2.9 ± 0.2 mL) from 32 male snow leopards (9.8 ± 0.7 years; 38.6 ± 0.8 kg) housed at 27 institutions contained 119.2 + 26.0 x 106 spermatozoa, of which 75.1 ± 2.3% were motile and 28.6 ± 2.6% exhibited normal morphology. Overall, 34% of males produced <5 million spermatozoa and 27% of males produced spermatozoa with <20% normal morphology. Activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the seminal fluid was negatively correlated (P < 0.05, r2 = 0.90) with normal sperm morphology. Husbandry practices, mean concentrations of fecal androgen metabolites (fAM), and baseline concentrations of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGM), inbreeding coefficients, and generations each male was removed from the founders in their lineages were not correlated (P > 0.05) with the total number of spermatozoa or the proportion of spermatozoa with normal morphology. Total sperm count was positively correlated (P < 0.05, R2 = 0.86) with the weekly intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and the proportion of spermatozoa with normal morphology tended (P < 0.10, R2 = 0.31) to be positively correlated with copper intake. Altering the nutrient composition of snow leopard diets could provide managers with a possible method of improving reproductive traits in this endangered species.Lay summaryThe population of snow leopards (Uncia uncia) maintained in US zoos has been declining since 1993 due to poor breeding success. Our objective was to assess the reproductive traits of male snow leopards and identify factors (e.g. hormones, diet, genetics) that may be affecting the quality of semen produced and therefore subsequent fertility. Within a cohort of 32 male snow leopards maintained at 27 US zoos, we found that 34% produced less than 5 million sperm and 27% of males produced sperm where less than 20% looked normal. The quantity and quality of the recovered sperm was not correlated with husbandry practices, concentrations of hormones (androgens and glucocorticoids) in feces, or genetics. However, the number of sperm was positively correlated with polyunsaturated fatty acids in the diet. Altering the nutrient composition of snow leopard diets could provide managers with a possible method of improving reproductive traits in this endangered species.
Highlights
The snow leopard (Uncia uncia) was listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 1986 (McCarthy et al 2017)
Snow leopards have been maintained in US zoos for over 100 years, with successful breeding programs starting in the 1950s and steady population growth until the early 1990s (Wharton & Mainka 1997)
The current study was initiated to improve our understanding of reproduction in male snow leopards and identify factors that could be linked to recent declines in reproductive success
Summary
The snow leopard (Uncia uncia) was listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 1986 (McCarthy et al 2017). Recently upgraded to vulnerable, wild populations continue to decline with less than 3,400 mature individuals thought to exist (McCarthy et al 2017). The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan® (SSP) participates in conservation efforts for this species by managing ex situ population of snow leopards that could be used to supplement or re-establish wild populations in the future. The goal of the Snow Leopard SSP is to maintain a population of 150 individuals with at least 90% genetic diversity for 100 years (Soulé et al 1986). It is imperative that reproductive success improves in order for the zoo population to remain viable and contribute to the conservation of this species
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