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Semen banking—is it now feasible for captive endangered species?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2009

W. V. Holt
Affiliation:
MRC/AFRC Comparative Physiology Research Group, Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.
H. D. M. Moore
Affiliation:
MRC/AFRC Comparative Physiology Research Group, Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.
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Abstract

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This article proposes that serious consideration should now be given to the establishment of banks of genetic material from rare and endangered species. In the light of advances in the technology associated with semen assessment and preservation, the limitations that have so far discouraged the practice of semen freezing and banking can now be minimized and circumvented. The authors review these developments and suggest that semen preservation should be reconsidered as a practical means of preserving the genetic diversity currently contained within captive stocks of wild animals.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Fauna and Flora International 1988

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