Effect of alternate day collection on semen quality of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) with poor initial fresh semen quality

• Main Authors: P. Imrat, S. Mahasawangkul, C. Thitaram, P. Suthanmapinanth, K. Kornkaewrat, P. Sombutputorn, S. Jansittiwate, N. Thongtip, A. Pinyopummin, B. Colenbrander, W. V. Holt, T. A E Stout
• Format: Journal
• Published: 2018
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=84901623807&origin=inward; http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/jspui/handle/6653943832/45025
• Institution: Chiang Mai University

In captivity, male Asian elephants often yield poor quality semen after transrectal manually assisted semen collection; however, the reasons for the disappointing semen quality are not clear. Here we test the hypothesis that accumulation of senescent spermatozoa is a contributory factor, and that semen quality can therefore be improved by more frequent ejaculation. To this end we investigated the effect of collecting semen five times on alternate days, after a long period of sexual rest, on semen quality in Asian elephants known to deliver poor semen during infrequent single collections. All eight bulls initially displayed a high incidence of detached sperm heads and low percentages of motile (close to 0%) spermatozoa. After semen collection on alternate days, the percentages of detached sperm heads, and head and mid-piece abnormalities, were reduced significantly (p < . 0.05). In particular, one bull showed markedly improved sperm motility (increased from 0% to 60%) and membrane integrity (increased from 5% to 75%). In addition, advancing age significantly (p < . 0.01) correlated with lower percentages of sperm with intact membranes and a higher frequency of detached sperm heads. In contrast to sperm accumulation problems in other species, a small ampullary diameter correlated significantly (p < . 0.05) with reduced semen quality. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.