The World’s First Commercial Embryo Transfer in Alpacas
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by Carolyn Jinks
enleigh Alpaca Stud, situated on the Bellarine Peninsula near Geelong, Victoria, Australia, has been working with Dr David Hopkins and Dr Jane Vaughan in pioneering Embryo Transfers in Alpacas. As a result of this work, four healthy cria were born at Benleigh in March, and a second group in May, with subsequent groups at due at various intervals. Benleigh Alpaca Stud was established in 1989 as part of an agricultural enterprise owned by Allan and Carolyn Jinks. With a background in Stud Sheep, alpacas added a new dimension to their farm, and in latter years has become the main focus on the property. Export Quarantine facilities, monitored by AQIS forms part of the business. Allan, who is a registered alpaca judge, was awarded a Life Membership to the Alpaca Association in 2000. His vision for improvement to the breed has been a driving force. Carolyn’s expertise is in neonatal care. She has co-authored two handbooks on alpaca birthing and reproduction, and lectured throughout Australia, New Zealand and in the UK. Dr Hopkins has been a partner in the Bellarine Veterinary Practice, Geelong, for the last 25 years and during this time has developed expertise in artificial breeding in a variety of species.
The Camelid Quarterly
David first started working in Embryo Transfer (ET) in 1986, when he was employed in the largest cattle ET program ever undertaken in the Southern Hemisphere. Following this David became involved in the canine semen freezing and artificial insemination, and now runs the AI program for the Australian Customs Drug Detector Dogs, as well as programs for hundreds of dog breeders. In 1990 David was the first Vet in Australia to produce foals by Embryo Transfer, and is now freezing stallion semen and inseminating mares with imported semen. It has taken five years of research to understand the alpaca’s unique reproductive cycle and to develop techniques for Embryo Transfer. With the assistance of Dr Jane Vaughan and Benleigh Alpaca Stud success has now been achieved with 4
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cria born and more on the way. Dr Jane Vaughn graduated from University of Melbourne in 1988 and first started working with alpacas in 1991 when she worked with 600+ alpacas on Cocos Is quarantine station. Jane completed a Dr of Philosophy in reproduction in the female alpaca in 2001. Benleigh Alpaca Stud’s breeding program has been constantly recognised with many awards the most recent being Supreme Champion Fleece exhibit, bred by Benleigh, at the 2002 Sydney Royal Show. Supreme Champion Alpaca at the 2001 Royal Melbourne Show, plus Junior, Intermediate and Senior championships at the 2001 Australian Alpaca National Show. Following the consistent successes, Allan and Carolyn’s goal has been to produce a greater number of superior animals per year, and the opportunity to participate in the ET program presented an ideal situation. Donor females were selected by results of quality of previous cria. Females were mated normally by Benleigh’s top Stud Males and a week later were ‘spat off’, giving indication that pregnancy had occurred. Recipient females were selected by referring to past breeding records and choosing those who had consistently conceived easily, but who are now ‘superseeded’ in the breeding program, due to inferior fleece quality. These recipients were given drugs to prepare the uterus for implantation. It should be noted that the donor females were not super ovulated. Each donor was given a tranquilizer, then flushed by the Vet at a time considered to be ideal, prior to implantation of the embryo in the uterus. The excitement of actually seeing with the naked eye a tiny embryo in the petrie dish, will never be forgotten. The embryo was then observed under
September 2002