Frozen Dumbo - Establishment of the first large scale semen cryobank for wild African elephants and other endangered species
By advancing artificial insemination and semen cryopreservation techniques, this project creates new opportunities to preserve the genetic diversity of African and Asian elephant populations over the long term without removing individuals from their natural habitats.
| Duration: | since 2007 |
| Third-party funded: | yes |
| Involved Department(s): | Dept Reproduction Management |
| Leibniz-IZW Project Leader(s): | Thomas Hildebrandt (Dept Reproduction Management) |
| Leibniz-IZW Project Team: |
Frank Göritz, Susanne Holtze (all: Dept Reproduction Management) |
| Consortium Partner(s): |
Schönbrunn Zoo (Austria), West Midland Safari Park (United Kingdom), Ouwehands Zoo Rhenen (The Netherlands), Zoo Zlin (Czech Republic) |
| Current Funding Organisation: |
Beauval Conservation et Recherche (ABCR), Pittsburgh Zoo/PPG Aquarium, private donors |
| Research Foci: | |
| Understanding traits and evolutionary adaptations |
|
| Understanding the environmental context | |
| Developing theories, methods, and tools |
The elephant artificial reproduction project was initiated jointly by Leibniz-IZW, ZooParc de Beauval, Tiergarten Schönbrunn, and the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (USA). In 2009 and 2010, semen samples were collected from 14 free-ranging African elephant bulls (Loxodonta africana) in South Africa’s Phinda Private Game Reserve using electroejaculation. In collaboration with Leibniz-IZW, these samples formed the basis of a sperm bank containing approximately two liters of cryopreserved semen. The material is stored at −196 °C at ZooParc de Beauval and is available to the European zoo breeding programme.
Another successful sperm collection from wild African elephants took place in spring 2023 at Selati Game Reserve in South Africa with the support of ZooParc Beauval and BioParc Valencia. Approximately further three liters of high-quality African elephant ejaculate were cryopreserved for future use.
The “Frozen Dumbo” project enables the use of frozen-thawed semen for artificial insemination and overcomes a major logistical challenge in elephant breeding. Whereas fresh semen previously had to be transported between zoos within a narrow time window around ovulation, cryopreserved semen can be stored and used at the optimal time for insemination. The cryopreservation protocols developed by the project preserve sperm viability and fertility, thereby facilitating the genetic enrichment of European elephant populations without removing animals from wild populations.
The team led by Prof. Thomas Hildebrandt has contributed to more than 50 successful elephant inseminations to date, including seven using cryopreserved semen. A major milestone was achieved in 2011 at Tiergarten Schönbrunn, where an elephant cow was successfully inseminated with frozen semen from a free-ranging African bull for the first time.
In recognition of his pioneering contributions to artificial reproduction in African and Asian elephants, Prof. Hildebrandt received the Conservation Legacy Award from the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium in 2015. The accompanying prize was used to support the first international conference on the northern white rhinoceros, held in Vienna in December 2015.
Selected media contributions
BBC | Globe 14.08.2012 Zoo elephant conceived with wild male's frozen sperm
The Boston | Globe 01.12.2023 How to collect a sperm sample from an elephant
Beauval Nature - YouTube | 05.07.2023 Frozen Dumbo 3: toute une aventure
Selected Publications
- Saragusty J, Prieto M, Courtiol A, Potier R, Goeritz F, Hildebrandt TB, Hermes R (2016): Sperm rescue in wild African elephants. Reproduction, Fertility and Development, 28(9), 1433-1442.
- Saragusty J (2015): Directional freezing for large volume cryopreservation. In Cryopreservation and Freeze-Drying Protocols (pp. 381-397). Springer, New York, NY.
- Hermes R, Saragusty J, Goeritz F, Bartels P, Potier R, Baker B, Streich JW, Hildebrandt TB (2013): Freezing African elephant semen as a new population management tool. PLoS ONE 8(3): e57616. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0057616PloS ONE.
- Hildebrandt TB, Hermes R, Saragusty J, Potier R, Schwammer H, Balfanz F, Vielgrader H, Baker B, Bartels P, Goeritz F (2012): Enriching the captive elephant population genetic pool through artificial insemination with frozen-thawed semen collected in the wild. Theriogenology 78: 1398-1404.
- Behr B, Rath D, Hildebrandt TB, Goeritz F, Blottner S, Portas TJ, Bryant BR, Sieg B, Knieriem A, De Graaf SP, Maxwell WMC, Hermes R (2009): Index of sperm sex sortability in elephants and rhinoceros. Reprod Domest Anim, 44: 273-277.
- Hermes R, Behr B, Hildebrandt TB, Blottner S, Sieg B, Frenzel A, Knieriem A, Saragusty J, Rath D (2009): Sperm sex-sorting in the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). Anim Reprod Sci 112: 390-396.
- Saragusty J, Hildebrandt TB, Behr B, Knieriem A, Kruse J, Hermes R (2009): Successful cryopreservation of Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) spermatozoa. Anim Reprod Sci 115: 255-266.