The world is now in the midst of the fastest mass extinction of wildlife. The author believes that preserving the threatened species is the urgency of the mankind. In the promotion of the ex-situ conservation, artificial reproductive technologies, such as artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization including intracytoplasmic sperm injection, embryo transfer, cryopreservation of germplasm, in vitro spermatogenesis, nuclear transfer and possibly cloning, become useful tools. In this review, I describe various techniques for collecting the germplasm from wild animals (artificial vagina method, manual stimulation, electroejaculation, postmortem recovery, etc.). Finally, the future of our planet depends on human beings and animals learning to live together.

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Animal populations primarily have been kept within the limits of food supplies and habitats in wild nature. However, under certain circumstances, uncontrolled increase in population occurs in some species, and have caused social problem. In the case of free-ranging Japanese macaques, provisioning was initiated for research, education of mission, and resource of sightseeing more than 50 years ago. The provisioning, through the nutritious and sufficient amount of food supply, made a rapid increase in populations in most monkey parks. Consequently, monkey parks and adjacent agricultural industry face problems associated with the surplus animals. Though various measures for population control, such as hunting, trapping, and relocation, have been taken, these methods have only transient effects. In the present study, we investigated the effects of synthetic progesterone implant on menstrual cyclicity, endocrinology and contraceptive efficacy. Before treatments, all monkeys exhibited normal menstrual cycles with mid-cycle increase in plasma estradiol and LH, followed by luteal increase in plasma progesterone. After treatments, menstrual cycles completely disappeared and annovulation persisted for 3 years, followed by the spontaneous recovery of normal menstrual cycles. Then, 43 female Japanese macaques of the provisioned free-ranging Takasakiyama troop were used for contraceptive study. They received implants in early autumn, just before the onset of breeding season. These monkeys exhibited copulatory behaviors during the breeding season, but they did not show delivery. These results showed that implant suppressed ovulation. Thus, the implant appears an effective means of fertility control in macaque monkeys.

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The capture and chemical immobilization of wild Hokkaido sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis) have started since 1981 at Nakajima Island, Hokkaido, Japan. We reviewed the techniques of capture and chemical immobilization for the deer. The capture techniques that were mainly used at present were a corral trap, the alpine capture system, a box trap, a blowpipe and a dart gun. And xylazine-ketamine mixture or medetomidine-ketamine mixture were commonly used for chemical immobilization. The induction dosage of xylazine-ketamine mixture as follow, xylazine: 1.2-2.0mg/kg, ketamine: 1.2-6.0mg/kg. The induction dosage of medetomidine-ketamine mixture as follow, medetomidine: 35.7-98.4μg/kg, ketamine: 1.6-7.7mg/kg. These mixtures were administered intramuscularly by a blowpipe or a dart gun. During immobilization, respiratory rate, heart rate, rectal temparture and the color of gums were monitored. The normal ranges of respiratory rate, heart rate and rectal temperture were 30-40/min, 50-70/min and 38.0-39.5℃, respectively. Atipamezole was used as an antagonist for the both mixtures and administered intravenously and/or intramuscularly. The dosage of atipamezole for xylazine was 1/10 of xylazine dose, for medetomidine was five times of medetomidine dose.

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The Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic (JARPA) has been conducted since the 1987/88 season and has taken an annual maximum of 440 Antarctic minke whales Balaenoptera bonaerensis. In order to improve whale-killing methods, we have analyzed 3,246 catch and necropsy records of Antarctic minke whales taken between the 1993/94-2000/2001 seasons. The average time-to-death (TTD) for each body-length class increased with body length, while the instantaneous death rate (IDR) showed no relation to body length except for whales less than 6m. The relationship between the severity of harpoon wounds and IDR/TTD was examined. The highest IDR was observed for wounds to the brain and cervical vertebra (Central Nervous System; CNS). Wounds to the forepart of the thoracic vertebra and heart showed the next highest IDR. On the other hand, destruction of abdominal viscera as well as lumbar and caudal vertebra showed a low IDR and were less effective in reducing TTD. The average firing angle was 36.7°, and there was no significant difference in that angle between whales that died instantly and those that did not. Considering the chasing methods in the JARPA, the most efficient internal harpoon tracks (target organs) were, thorax→ skull (heart and CNS), penetration of thorax (heart) as well as abdomen→ thorax (heart). TTD and IDR in the JARPA have been steadily improved. The next step calls for further improvements in whaling devices.

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To undertake diagnoses, parasitic helminths from 22 captive avian species kept in 5 zoological gardens and/or exhibition facilities in Kinki District in Japan were examined, and 17 species, namely Chapmania tauricollis, Clinostomum complanatum, Corynosoma sp., Capillariidae gen. sp., Thelazia aquillina, Synhimantus (S.) sp., S. (Dispharynx) nasuta, Desportesius invaginatus, Diplotriaena ozouxi, Contracaecum sp., Heterakis isolonche, Heterakis sp., Pseudaspidodera sp., Ascaridia gallinarum, A. hermaphrodita, Ascaridia sp. and Syngamus sp., were identified. This is the first record of C. tauricollisthe and Pseudaspidodera sp. in Japan. An case of abnomal cordon of S. (Dispharynx) nasuta was recorded. As well, a brief epidemiological discussion of the genera Corynosoma and Heterakis was presented.

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The weight ratios of the four forelimb muscles (M. supraspinatus, M. infraspinatus, M. teres major, and M. subscapularis) were compared among the three species of Insectivora, the musk shrew as a terrestrial species, the mole shrew as a fosso-terrestrial species and the lesser Japanese mole as a completely fossorial species, to statistically clarify their adaptive changes in the shoulder region. From the quantitative results of the muscle weight, we demonstrated that M. teres major were statistically larger in the lesser Japanese mole and that it was adapted for the adduction of the upper arm in the digging behavior. In contrast, M. supraspinatus was well-developed in the musk shrew and the mole shrew, and we suggest that it may play an important role to extend the shoulder joint in the terrestrial locomotion of the two species. The completely fossorial species such as the lesser Japanese mole were equipped with the well-developed M. infraspinatus that contributed to the flexion and the abduction of the humerus needed to the digging action, and the larger M. subscapularis that helped M. teres major to adduct the upper arm region.

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We examined the adduction movement of the first metacarpal during the manipulating action of the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) by using the computed tomography (CT) techniques. We demonstrated by nondestructive method that the first metacarpal adducted and its shaft rotated from the first carpometacarpal joint. The trapezium and the other carpals did not move in the adductor action of the first metacarpal and did not contribute to the gripping action. The movement area of the first metacarpal was three-dimensionally restricted to the medial region of the second metacarpal. Some reports pointed out that the first metacarpal and the first phalanges did not act as a highly-functioned grasper in the chimpanzee unlike in the human and some fossil hominids, and our CT sections also explained that the first metacarpal movements and the thumb opposability were not sufficient to grasp object for the chimpanzee.

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An adult captive white-fronted goose developed a complete stifle dislocation associated with a trauma. At surgery, ruptures of the lateral collateral and cranial/caudal cruciate ligaments were found. After reducing the stifle, tendon origin of the lateral head of gastrocnemius muscle was tightened to the tibial tuberosity through a bone tunnel using non-absorbable suture. Lateral imbrication of the joint capsule and fascia lata was applied. The bird was bearing weight on the limb by 14 days after surgery. Degenerative joint disease (DJD) was found at 80 days, but improved by treatment. Now at four years, the gait appears normal. This corrective technique was evaluated experimentally, using a pigeon. The function recovered early and appears well for the postoperative four years.

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Urinary 8-hydroxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a common biomarker of oxidative stress, was measured in captive Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). In asymptomatic and symptomatic macaques, urinary 8-OHdG ranged from 6.9 to 203.2 and from 150.0 to 291.0ng/mg creatinine, respectively. The values for the asymptomatic macaques were significantly lower than those for the symptomatic macaques (P<0.05). Due to the low sample number in the present study, it was not possible to determine the critical value for urinary 8-OHdG in macaques. However, if more data on the variation of urinary 8-OHdG excretion in macaques is obtained, it will be possible to evaluate their general health status based on oxidative stress.

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Clinical search and consideration of 10 green iguanas (Iguana iguana) with follicular stasis ten green iguanas (Iguana iguana) were brought to our clinic with main symptoms of abdominal distention and loss of appetite. Follicular stasis was suspected from physical, image, and blood examinations. In all cases the animals still had not oviposited several months after the nitial examination and were weakening, so ovariosalpingectomy was performed. Based on intraoperative findings and histopathological tests, the final diagnosis for all cases were follicular stasis.

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