SPERMOPHAGY IN SEMEN IN THE RED-WOLF, CANIS-RUFUS

The red wolf (Canis rufus) is an endangered species with 194 individua ls remaining in the wild and in various captive facilities. Breeding e fforts at the Graham, WA site (Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium) have i nvolved artificial insemination with fresh or frozen semen in an effor t to increase population and maximize the genetic potential of the sto ck. Electron microscopic observations were made in semen specimens obt ained by electro-ejaculation from mature males prior to their use in a n effort to determine semen parameters that might be useful in guiding breeding procedures. Sperm samples were either fixed immediately or t reated with capacitating media and fixed after 4 to 7 hr of incubation . Many of the specimens examined were pyospermic (white cell in semen) and showed evidence of spermophagy, primarily by neutrophils. Of the six animals surveyed, only one showed little evidence of spermophagy, and three had extensive pyospermia and spermophagy but this finding wa s not correlated with fertility. Samples fixed immediately as well as those incubated for several hours showed evidence of spermophagy, indi cating that the phagocytosis was not the result of culture. Gene pool restriction and/or captive stress may be contributing factors of reduc ed semen quality. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.