325 = 10
6
rml and percentages of motile sperm, dead sperm, and abnormal sperm Ž
higher than 50.5, lower than 18.0, and lower than 27.7, respectively Tingari et al., .
1986; Ismail, 1988; Merkt et al., 1990; Musa et al., 1992, 1993 . Billah and Skidmore Ž
. 1992 reported a considerable variation in the semen characteristics of the dromedary
camel. Semen quality has been found to be correlated with the general health and the Ž
. nutritional status of the males Musa et al., 1993 .
For liquid preservation of camel semen, various extenders that showed good results Ž
. Ž
. include laiciphose Cassou, 1959 , Androlepe Waberski et al., 1989 , sodium citrate
Ž .
Ž .
egg yolk extender Kupper, 1954 , and the Dimitropolouse extender Rasbech, 1984 . Extenders containing egg yolk and lactose appeared more suitable to preserving camel
Ž .
semen in the liquid state Sieme et al., 1990; Anouassi et al., 1992; Musa et al., 1992 . Diluted fresh semen has been preserved in plastic tubes and stored at 48C for a
Ž .
maximum of 36 h Musa et al., 1993 . Deep freezing of camel semen has been
Ž .
performed. Sieme et al. 1990 compared different freezing methods with recommended Ž
. modifications of the technique developed by Westendorf et al. 1975 . A major difficulty
Ž .
with camel AI is ensuring that the inseminated females ovulate Chaudhary, 1995 . Ž
. According to Anouassi et al. 1992 ovulation rates and pregnancy were significantly
higher in inseminated camels that had been mated by a vasectomised male. However, this is not a practical method because of the risk of the transmission of venereal and
other diseases. Therefore, following AI, ovulation has been induced with either 3000 IU
Ž .
hCG or 20 mg of the GnRH analogue, Buserelin Mckinnon and Tinson, 1992 .
6. Superovulation and embryo transfer
The number of offspring likely to be produced by a prestigious female camel in her relatively short breeding life is inadequate to provide a good distribution of the desired
Ž .
genetic material Musa et al., 1993 . Due to the restricted breeding season and the camel’s long gestation period, judicious use of embryo transfer could increase reproduc-
Ž .
tive efficiency in this species Skidmore et al., 1992 . Embryo transfer is an established technique in large domestic animal species. However, little research on the camel has
been reported. Synchronisation of ovulation in donors and recipients, and induction of Ž
superovulation in donors, are challenges in camel embryo transfer Mckinnon and .
Tinson, 1992 . eCG has been used successfully in camels at various doses between 1500 Ž
and 6000 IU to stimulate the ovaries for the production of multiple follicles Anouassi .
and Ali, 1990; Skidmore et al., 1992; Mckinnon and Tinson, 1992 . Another method for superovulation is the use of 1–3 mg ovine FSH in a split dose regime over 3–6 days
Ž .
Cooper et al., 1990, 1992; Skidmore et al., 1992; Mckinnon and Tinson, 1992 . The latter investigators collected more embryos from donors stimulated with pituitary FSH
than with eCG. The gonadotrophin treatments were performed just before or after the Ž
. removal of the PRID Skidmore et al., 1992; Cooper et al., 1992 or on the last day of
Ž .
the progesterone therapy Mckinnon and Tinson, 1992 . Donor camels were mated once or twice 12 h apart, or artificially inseminated. Ovulation was enhanced with hCG or
Ž .
GnRH Cooper et al., 1992; Mckinnon and Tinson, 1992 . The superovulatory response
to the exogenous gonadotrophin therapy varied tremendously between individual donors Ž
. Anouassi and Ali, 1990; Skidmore et al., 1992 . Synchronisation of oestrous in the
recipients has been tried using PRIDs, inserted into a large number of females and Ž
withdrawn in 7–10 days to provide a pool of synchronised recipients Cooper et al., .
1990, 1992 . The recipients were also treated with either hCG or a GnRH analogue Ž
. Buserelin in order to enhance synchronous ovulations. Embryos were flushed from
Ž donor camels on Day 6 or 7 after mating Anouassi and Ali, 1990; Cooper et al., 1990;
. 1992 . Nonsurgical embryo recovery has been performed in the camel using either a
Ž .
Ž .
two-way Cooper et al., 1990 or three-way catheter Skidmore et al., 1992 . The latter investigators recommended the transfer of embryos to recipients that are 1 or possibly 2
days negatively synchronous with the donors.
7. Pregnancy and parturition
