
NOTE: This section is geared toward professional
wildlife managers. It is not intended for the general public.
Immunocontraception is a birth control method that uses the body's immune response to prevent pregnancy. It has been used effectively in a number of wildlife species including wild horses in Nevada, white-tailed deer in Ohio, the American black bear in South Dakota, the tule elk in California, the South African elephant, and Llamas and alpacas in Peru.
Contraception and sterilization methods can be used as alternatives to current methods of controlling overpopulation of domestic and wild animals.
Since 1987, researchers at the University of California, Davis have provided considerable quantities of PZP (porcine zona pellucida) to various governmental and private agencies throughout the world for the experimental purposes of contracepting and humanely controlling animal populations. Dr. Liu and his colleagues, who first reported on the use of PZP in feral and domestic animals in a 1989 article in the Journal of Reproduction and Fertility, are continuing to perform collaborative research with government agencies and non-profit organizations worldwide. The UC Davis researchers are developing PZP and hormone-based agents aimed at effective and humane methods of contraception and sterilization of animals.
For more information, please contact:
Liu, Irwin K ,Professor
Department of Population Health & Reproduction
1114 Tupper Hall, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
Phone: 530-752-1358 Fax: 530-752-4278
E-mail: ikliu@ucdavis.edu
Links on PZP: www.pzinfo.org
Download:
Fertility Control of Animals by Jay F. Kirkpatrick and Allen T.
Rutberg
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