ASSESSMENT OF INBREEDING DEPRESSION IN BIG CATS - TESTOSTERONE LEVELSAND SEMEN ANALYSIS

Studies on Asiatic lions earlier suggested that they were highly inbre d and have very low levels of genetic variations. However, subsequent studies indicated higher degree of DNA polymorphism in Asiatic lions a nd Indian tigers and suggested that the low genetic variability was a characteristic feature of these species and was not the consequence of intensive inbreeding; Therefore, the present study was undertaken to ascertain whether inbreeding depression has set in these species. A to tal of 16 tigers and 7 lions from three: Indian toes were evaluated fo r inbreeding depression effects by analysis of semen samples with resp ect to spermatozoal number, percentage motile spermatozoa, percentage morphologically abnormal spermatozoa, ejaculate volume and fertilizing ability of spermatozoa. Majority of the animals exhibited good sperma tozoal number, high percentage of motile spermatozoa and low incidence of abnormal spermatozoa unlike inbred animals, thus implying that inb reeding depression has not yet affected these animals. The high fertil izing ability of the semen samples and the high levels of serum testos terone further support the view that the Asiatic lions and Indian tige rs are not completely inbred.