Breakthroughs in rhino breeding will boost reproductive efforts.

Rhinoceroses are highly endangered, and their future in the wild is uncertain due to poaching and habitat loss. Captive-rhino breeding programs have been fairly successful, but because many of the adults are overly aggressive, only certain individuals can be used to breed. The result is offspring that aren't genetically diverse enough to maintain the captive population. With Foundation funding, Drs. Terri Roth and Monica Stoops at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden developed a reliable method for collecting and freezing rhino sperm. They used this technique to collect sperm from the most genetically valuable captive males and store it in a genome resource bank for use in the development of a successful artificial artificial-insemination protocol for this species. They also used ultrasonographic imaging to more accurately determine when females are fertile, which will increase the likelihood of a pregnancy. The breakthroughs from this study will boost reproductive efforts and increase genetic diversity among captive rhinos.