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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Guianan Squirrel Monkey
Total Population: Around 150,000 in the wild
African penguin
Total Population: Less than 40,000 in the wild
Parma Wallaby
Total Population: 1,000 - 10,000 in the wild
South American fur seal
Total Population: Around 200,000 in the wild
Bush dog
Total Population: Unknown
Asian short-clawed otter
Total Population: Unknown
Little egret
Total Population: 660,000 to 3,150,000 in the wild
Bar-headed goose
Total Population: 97,000 - 118,000 in the wild
Black howler monkey
Total Population: Less than 5,000 in the wild
Bactrian camel
Total Population: Less than 1,000 in the wild
Patagonian Sea Lion
Total Population: 222,500 to 265,000 in the wild
Wolverine
Total Population: Around 13,000 in the wild
Asiatic Lion
Total Population: Around 650 in the wild
Scimitar-horned oryx
Total Population: Around 400 in the wild
Red Panda
Total Population: Less than 10,000 in the wild
Okapi
Total Population: Less than 25,000 in the wild
Red river hog
Total Population: Unknown
Mandanao bleeding-heart dove
Total Population: Less than 2,500 in the wild
Siamang Gibbon
Total Population: Around 22,000 in the wild
Owston’s palm civet
Total Population: Unknown
