Electro Ejaculation of Two Species of Agouti (Dasyprocta spp.) in Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract

The meat of Neo-tropical fauna is savoured in parts of the Caribbean, Central and South America. Dasyprocta species is one animal hunted for its meat and this activity may eventually threaten their survival. However, efforts made to domesticate these wild animals lead to the development of farming systems. Reproduction has been a valuable tool in the process of domestication. Therefore, part of this effort included research directed at understanding the reproductive attributes of the male agouti. Electro-ejaculation was used to collect semen from Dasyprocta leporina and Dasyprocta azarae. This mini review compared three electro-ejaculation protocols developed for Dasyprocta species in Brazil and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. These procedures were applied after the animals were anaesthetized. Collected ejaculates that contained spermatozoa were expressed as percentages of the total number of ejaculated collected and used as a measure of the effectiveness for the respective three Protocols. The most effective was Protocol 3 (100%). However, this was achieved with the administering of 5 different anaesthetics which may cause some potential damage to the agouti. Conversely, 75% successes were obtained then Xylazine 20mg/ kg (Protocol 1, T4) and Ketamine 20mg/kg and Xylazine 40mg/kg (Protocol 2, T8) were administered, respectively. The ejaculate with the largest concentration of spermatozoa (431±180×10 6 /ml) were collected for Protocol 1, T4. Furthermore, no such specifics were listed for ejaculates collected from Protocol 3. In conclusion, the three Protocols should be reviewed to develop a procedure which utilizes resources efficiently and produces results that are quantitatively and qualitatively desirable.

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“…11,15,16 Therefore, it was and is possible to select specific animals based on their age 15 for breeding and other reproductive trials. Semen collection 7,19 analysis, 20 extension, preservation, 21 and spermatogenesis 10 in the species have already begun. After the processing of semen the uncharted area of artificial insemination (AI) in the agouti is possible as the foundational pool of knowledge to initiate the application of this reproductive technique is available.…”

“…5 To put into prospective the recent mini avalanche of reviewed articles on the anatomy and physiology of the male's agouti reproductive system, the majority of which came out of Brazil and some other South American countries, and to a lesser extend Trinidad and Tobago. 6,7 This paper focuses on the anatomy of the male reproductive system of three Dasyprocta spp. with the aim to facilitate the reproductive contribution of this initial body of knowledge in other reproductive work on the species.…”

Application of the primary investigations on the anatomical features of the male reproductive system of Dasyprocta species: a mini review

“…11,15,16 Therefore, it was and is possible to select specific animals based on their age 15 for breeding and other reproductive trials. Semen collection 7,19 analysis, 20 extension, preservation, 21 and spermatogenesis 10 in the species have already begun. After the processing of semen the uncharted area of artificial insemination (AI) in the agouti is possible as the foundational pool of knowledge to initiate the application of this reproductive technique is available.…”