The specific aims of this project are 1) to organize, implement and maintain a management program for reproduction in the three species of Galago at the Duke University Primate Center; 2) to obtain baseline data on selected parameters of reproduction in colony-housed Galago and 3) to test the effectiveness of gonadotropin therapy as a management tool to increase reproductive output in Galago. Techniques of management of reproduction derived from management programs used in the dairy and beef cattle industry will be modified and extended to apply to the breeding colony of Galago at the Duke University Primate Center. Experiments designed to determine the age of puberty in male Galago are described. Further experiments are detailed in which FSH and HCG are tested for their ability to induce estrus and ovulation in normal, but acyclic Galago. The long-term objectives of this project are to devise economically effective methods of breeding Galago in order to provide colony-bred animals at a reasonable cost to investigators using these animals in neuroanatomical, biomedical, behavioral and anthropological research.
Izard, M K; Fail, P A (1988) Progesterone levels during pregnancy in the greater thick-tailed galago (Galago crassicaudatus). J Med Primatol 17:125-33 |