Hybridization between wapiti (Cervus elephus manitobensis) and sika deer (Cervus nippon): a comparison of two artificial insemination techniques.

The present study compared pregnancy rates of sika deer (Cervus nippon) hinds artificially inseminated with frozen-thawed wapiti (Cervus elephus manitobensis) semen by laparoscopic intrauterine or transvaginal/cervical artificial insemination (AI) techniques. Estrous cycles of 59 sika hinds were synchronized with one-half of a norgestomet ear implant. Fourteen days after implant insertion, norgestomet ear implants were removed and hinds received 50 IU of PG-600 intramuscularly, a combination of 50 IU PMSG and 25 IU hCG. Hinds were then randomly allotted for laparoscopic (n = 25) or transvaginal/cervical (n = 34) AI. AI of the hinds with frozen-thawed wapiti semen (40 x 10(6) spermatozoa) was time-fixed to occur at 55 hr for transvaginal/cervical AI and 65 hr for laparoscopic AI postnorgestomet implant removal. Semen deposition for hinds inseminated by transvaginal/cervical AI occurred as follows: vagina. 8.8% (3/34); os cervix, 67.6% (23/34); intracervical, 20.5% (7/34); and uterus, 2.9% (1/34). On day 42 post-AI, transrectal ultrasonography was performed to determine pregnancy rates. Pregnancy rates were not significantly different (P > 0.10) between laparoscopic (8/25, 32.0%) and transvaginal/cervical AI (9/34, 26.4%), with an overall conception rate of 28.8% (17/59). These results indicate that transvaginal/cervical AI techniques can be as effective as laparoscopic AI under some circumstances. Further refinement of the transvaginal/cervical AI technique to improve pregnancy rates might lead to more widespread use of this technique when laparoscopic AI is not possible.