Reproductive technologies in camelids

Abstract The growing interest in camels for racing, milk production and beauty competitions and llamas/alpacas for their good quality fiber has generated enthusiasm to breed from the more genetically superior animals using assisted reproductive techniques. This chapter describes the latest advances in in vitro embryo production, from the collection of oocytes and maturation to fertilization and culture as well as the difficulties associated with intracytoplasmic sperm injection and cloning. Unlike in other species, cryopreservation of camelid embryos and semen is still in its infancy. However, recent advances in long-term storage of semen and vitrification of camel embryos that have yielded pregnancy rates of 46% are discussed. Preliminary studies involving testis cell culture and transplantation of spermatogonial stem cells to recipient male camels are also described and encouragingly, the first recipient camel to produce donor-origin sperm was reported in 2018. While considerable advances have been made in all these techniques, they still present a challenge to ongoing research.