Sperm collection from shot red deer stags (Cervus elaphus) and the utilisation of sperm frozen and subsequently thawed

Sperm samples were collected from the epididymides of 11 hunter-killed stags (Cervus elaphus hippelaphus) within 2 to 17 h post mortem in September 1991. Progressively motile spermatozoa were diluted and deep-frozen in tris-yolk extender by a procedure routinely used for bovine semen. The pre-freezing motility of spermatozoa from 6 stags was higher than 80%, while the sperm of 5 animals was found to be unsuitable for dilution. In the post-thawed sperm of six stags 40-50% of the spermatozoa showed progressive motility and the number of viable spermatozoa ranged from 8.6 to 26.7 × 106 per 0.25 ml straw. Two years later, three hinds were superovulated by the use of a progesterone-releasing intravaginal device (CIDR type G, Carter, Holt Harvey Plastic Products Group Ltd., Hamilton, New Zealand) for a period of 14 days and with follicle stimulating hormone (Folicotropin inj., Spofa, Prague). Each hind was inseminated artificially 60 h after the withdrawal of CIDR with thawed sperm injected into the uterus via the vagina. Seven days later the uteri were flushed out, as a result of which 3 early blastocysts + 1 ovum, 3 morulae + 4 ova, and 1 morula + 7 ova, respectively, were recovered from the three hinds. Deer embryos were frozen according to a glycerolbased freezing protocol. A further two years later two hinds were oestrussynchronised with CIDR type G and 300 IU PMSG (Folligon inj., Intervet, NL), and two of the thawed embryos were transplanted into two recipient hinds 7 days after heat. One of these gave birth to a normal stag fawn in June 1996. This was the first deer born in Hungary from embryo transfer. The results obtained indicate that sperm from top stags shot in the course of hunting can prove useful for the preservation of genetic material or in the development of the farmed deer system

Evaluation of membrane integrity of frozen/thawed deer spermatozoa: Short communication

A simultaneous live/dead and acrosome staining, originally described for domestic mammals, was successfully applied on red deer (Cervus elaphus) and fallow deer (Dama dama) spermatozoa collected from the cauda epididymidis and vas deferens of shot stags. The staining is simple enough for routine application. Seven classes of spermatozoa were distinguished in the smears of frozen/thawed semen samples. Morphology, including cytoplasmic droplets, was evaluated as well. Percentage of live cells with intact acrosomes and with no other morphological aberrations might be a practical index of semen quality

Post‐mortem recovery, in vitro maturation and fertilization of fallow deer ( Dama dama

Habitat degradation leads to small and fragmented populations, lower genetic variability and fertility overtime. Assisted reproductive techniques represent important tools to cope with the dramatic loss of biodiversity. Fallow deer (Dama dama), beyond its high commercial value and wide distribution, may represent the most suitable model to study endangered cervids. In this study, oocytes were recovered post‐mortem from fallow deer during the breeding and no breeding seasons and were in vitro matured (IVM). The ability of cryopreserved thawed sperm samples recovered by electroejaculation from four adult males was tested by in vitro fertilization of IVM oocytes. The number of oocytes collected per ovary did significantly vary across seasons from 6.2 ± 0.92 during breeding season to 10.4 ± 1.26 during no breeding season (p = .006). Oocytes collected during the breeding season showed higher in vitro fertilization rate compared to the no breeding season (p = .045). However, no embryos reached the blastocyst stage. Semen samples obtained by electroejaculation were successfully cryopreserved, although the cryopreservation process negatively affected most kinetic parameters, mainly at 2 hr post‐thawing. Moreover, the percentage of rapid spermatozoa significantly decreased between fresh samples and at 2 hr post‐thawing, whereas the percentage of slow spermatozoa increased across the same period (p < .05). Our study provides the logistic steps for the application of assisted reproductive techniques in fallow deer and might be of great interest for genetic resource bank planning.Peer reviewe

Strategies for mitigation of nitrogen environmental impact from swine production Estratégias para minimização do impacto ambiental do azoto em suinicultura

This work presents strategies that can be implemented in order to minimize the environmental impact of swine slurry on soil, water, and air. This reduction can be achieved through decrease in nitrogen excretion and ammonia emissions. The correct feed formulation according to animal requirements, the increase in diet digestibility and improvement in animal performance can reduce nitrogen excretion. The use of additives either in the diet or in the manure as well as some equipment rearrangements can reduce ammonia emission.<br>Neste trabalho são apresentadas estratégias que podem ser implementadas para minimizar o impacto ambiental dos efluentes da produção suína sobre o solo, a água e a atmosfera. Esta redução pode ser obtida com a excreção de azoto e a sua volatilização. A formulação mais ajustada às necessidades dos animais, o aumento da digestibilidade da dieta e a melhoria do desempenho dos animais podem reduzir a excreção de azoto. O uso de aditivos nas dietas ou nos dejectos e alterações nas instalações pode reduzir a volatilização da amónia