Reproductive Biotechnology in Wild Animals

Abstract

The interest in wildlife conservation has been increasing, mainly because many species have been disappearing. The main causes of this problem are the alteration, fragmentation or loss of habitats due to human action. To counteract the disappearance of these species, ex situ techniques of assisted reproduction have been developed to preserve and increase populations of endangered species in which zoos and conservation centers participate. These techniques are made up of captive breeding, the creation of banks of genetic resources and the use of reproductive biotechnologies, which include in vitro fertilization, artificial insemination and embryo transfer. To carry out these procedures, collections of both female and male gametes are made in advance, and then fertilization (assisted or in vitro). In addition, you can find other techniques that are not yet fully developed in wild animals, due to the lack of existing information about their reproductive physiology and embryonic development. Thus, it is increasingly sought to develop the biotechnological aspect of animal reproduction. The evolution of these techniques and the implementation of protocols for the reproduction of each species will allow us to approach the possibility of reducing the number of species declared in danger of extinction.

Keywords

• assisted reproduction
• wild species
• conservation
• genetic variability