THE APPLICATION OF NEW REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES TO SOUTH-AMERICAN CAMELIDS

The interest in applying new reproductive technologies in South American camelids has increased dramatically over the last decade due in part to their unique reproductive characteristics and the potential for commercial application. The objectives of this presentation are to summarize and review the current status of research on reproductive physiology of South American camelids and to review more recent work on the application of new technologies to these species. Reproductive technologies reported in other species, including Al, superovulation, embryo transfer and IVF to some extent have now been successfully applied to South American camelids. In this report, particular attention will be given to ovarian follicular dynamics, oocyte maturation, fertilization and embryo development in vitro and in vivo. These species offer an excellent model for the study of reproductive events in induced ovulators. It is expected that knowledge obtained in the domesticated species of South American camelids (llama and alpaca) will be applicable and contribute to the preservation of other camelid species (guanacos, vicunas and old world camelids) and other unrelated exotic species.