Gabby Drake (Chester Zoo & Nature’s SAFE) presented a talk at the British Deer Veterinary Association meeting held on 26 November 2022, on developing methods to support the breeding of the Balabac mouse deer (Tragulus nigricans). This species of mouse deer is listed by the IUCN as endangered and there is a small, and mainly female, population managed in European zoos. Mouse deer, also called chevrotains, were an early branch of the evolutionary group ruminatia, and as well as sharing features with their cousins the cervids, share some features with the suids too, making then unchartered territory for assisted reproduction. The presentation included techniques for post mortem semen collection and storage, artificial insemination and monitoring of reproductive hormone cycles and pregnancy diagnosis using non-invasive faecal samples. Clinical techniques are challenging in these tiny animals and the reported Artificial Insemination attempt represents a first for this species, and a step towards developing assisted reproductive technologies to further their conservation.
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African Lion
Total Population: 20,000 - 25,000 in the wild
White naped mangabey
Total Population: Around 1,000 in the wild
Patagonian Sea Lion
Total Population: 222,500 to 265,000 in the wild
Black Hornbill
Total Population: Unknown
Bush dog
Total Population: Unknown
Orange-headed thrush
Total Population: Unknown
Black tree monitor
Total Population: Unknown
Senegal galago
Total Population: Unknown
Green Iguana
Total Population: Around 1.3 million in the wild
Arctic wolf
Total Population: Around 200,000 in the wild
Common Eland
Total Population: 90,000 to 110,000 in the wild
Black-naped fruit dove
Total Population: Unknown
Spix’s night monkey
Total Population: Unknown
African wild dog
Total Population: Around 6,600 in the wild
Okapi
Total Population: Less than 25,000 in the wild
Red Panda
Total Population: Less than 10,000 in the wild
Hamerkop
Total Population: Unknown
Fea’s tree frog
Total Population: Unknown
Nile Lechwe
Total Population: 30,000 - 40,000 in the wild
Collared peccary
Total Population: More than 2,000,000 in the wild
Hyacinth macaw
Total Population: Around 6,500 in the wild
