Studies on the collection and storage of semen from the African Elephant, <i>loxodonta african</i>

Abstract

Methods of semen collection following electrical stimulation are described. Semen was also collected from the male reproductive tract of slaughtered animals for several studies. Spermatozoa flushed from the male reproductive tract were immotile, but, dilution with buffered saline was sufficient to induce motility. It was found that the spermatozoa were sensitive to hypotpnic solutions and rapid cooling to 5C. Spermatozoa were frozen in egg yolk-citrate diluents. Dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) was a better protective agent than glycerol. Eight per cent v/v was the best concentration of DMSO when used alone, but better results were obtained using a combination of 7% v/v DMSO and 1% v/v glycerol. A semen bank was established using these concentrations of protective agents and thawed samples from the bank showed good viability in the laboratory.