Background: Artificial insemination (AI) using frozen-thawed semen is well established and routinely used for breeding in various mammalian species. However, there is no report of the birth of elephant calves following AI with frozen-thawed semen. The objective of the present study was to investigate the fertilizing ability of chilled and frozen-thawed semen in the Asian elephant following artificial insemination (AI).

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A unique feature of the reproductive physiology of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) is the occurrence of two LH surges before ovulation, instead of one. An anovulatory LH (anLH) surge, the function of which is unknown, occurs consistently 3 weeks before the ovulatory LH (ovLH) surge that induces ovulation. Thus, the ability to induce an ovLH surge would be useful for scheduling natural mating or artificial insemination. The present study tested the efficacy of a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-Ag) to induce LH surges during the follicular phase of the oestrous cycle, which resulted in varied LH responses, but generally none were as high as previously documented natural surges. Thus, for the ovulation-induction trials, nine females were administered 80 microg GnRH-Ag intravenously at three time periods during the oestrous cycle, namely the anovulatory follicular phase, the ovulatory follicular phase and the luteal phase. During the late anovulatory follicular phase, nine of 10 females (90%) responded with an immediate LH surge followed 15-22 days later by an ovLH surge or a post-ovulatory increase in progestagens. In contrast, despite responding to the GnRH-Ag with an immediate increase in LH, none of the females treated during other periods of the oestrous cycle exhibited subsequent ovLH surges. One cow got pregnant from natural mating following the induced ovLH surge. In conclusion, ovLH induction is possible using a GnRH-Ag, but only during a specific time of the anovulatory follicular phase.

While surgical sterilization is applied in the animal birth control program, Chiang Mai Municipality, with limited resources under field condition, there was concern about complications in post-operative wound healing. This study aimed to describe the incidence of wound complication after surgical sterilization and evaluate the associated risk factors. The investigators conducted a cross-sectional study on the owners and animals participated in the program from March to June 2017. The investigators recorded wound complications and possible risk factors for seven days after the operation, and assessed those factors using risk ratios (RR) with 95% level of confidence. Out of total 141 owners of 252 animals included in this study, 15 (6.0%) animals had post-operative wound complications. Animal receiving cefazolin injection prior to the operation was 0.36 times (95% CI = 0.14–0.97) likely to have wound healing complication than those received penicillin with dihydrostreptomycin. Complete course of either antibiotic or anti-inflammatory drug after the operation could protect animals from wound complications (RR = 0.15; 95% CI = 0.05–0.43). Among female animals, midline incision had lower incidence of complication than flank incision (RR = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.07-0.77). In conclusion, there were 6% of post-operative wound complications in this program. Monitoring of wound complications should be included in every surgical sterilization campaign.

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