A Trial of Intrauterine Insemination Using a Fiberscope in the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Abstract

ABSTRACT. An intrauterine insemination technique using a fiberscope was investigated in the giant panda. A septal wall was present about 5 cm from the vulva, the external urethral orifice was present in the ventral region, and the entrance (pseudocervix) to the vagina was present in the dorsal region. The uterovaginal region protruded in the dorsal region about 15 cm from the pseudocervix. The external uterine orifice was present in the uterovaginal region, revealing that intrauterine insemination can be easily performed. This technique may greatly contribute to artificial reproduction of the giant panda. KEY WORDS: fiberscope, giant panda, intrauterine insemination.J. Vet. Med. Sci. 68(9): 987-990, 2006 The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca: G. panda) is an endangered species, and many efforts are being made to conserve this animal. Ueno Zoo (Tokyo, Japan) started a raising and reproduction program for G. pandas in 1972, and 3 births were obtained by AI in 1985AI in , 1986AI in , and 1988. All were obtained by intravaginal insemination using bovine insemination equipment. However, no conceptions have been achieved since then.Artificial insemination (AI) is divided into intrauterine and intravaginal based on the site of semen infusion, and the number of sperm required to obtain conception by these methods is markedly different. For example, in beagles, 2 × 10 8 sperms are required for intravaginal insemination, but only 1/10 of this, or 2 × 10 7 sperms, is required for intrauterine insemination [14]. The number of sperm required for intrauterine insemination is 1/5 of that required for intravaginal insemination in cats [11,13]. In frozen semen, sperm motility markedly decreases and survival time shortens after thawing [8][9][10]. For efficient usage of sperm in an endangered species, establishment of an effective intrauterine insemination technique is urgently needed.There is very little information on the intravaginal structure of living G. pandas. A narrow region is present about 5 cm from the vulva, and the vagina is located in the inner part, but it cannot be visually confirmed because of the body shape of the animal. Development of intrauterine insemination using a laparoscope is underway for animals in which transvaginal intrauterine insemination is not applicable [4]. However, this method requires an incision in the abdominal wall and takes time for insemination. Thus, development of a non-invasive intrauterine insemination technique is necessary for rare animals including the G. panda.The objective of this study was to clarify the fiberscopic anatomical characteristics of the vaginal cavity, which is the region from the vulva to the external uterine orifice, and investigate the development of a transvaginal intrauterine insemination technique using a fiberscope for efficient usage of G. panda sperm.Animals: A female G. panda that had been maintained in Mexico (Chpultepec Zoo) was transferred to Ueno Zoo for AI. The animal was 16 years of age, and 130 kg in weight. Semen was collected from a 19-yea...

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