Embryo Transfer with an endangered species of donkey.

In the  year 2000 we were approached by Ron and Dianne Condon who owned both a male and a female Poitou Donkey. They were only two in Australia and they are an endangered species. Now, thanks to wonders of embryo transfer, a horse was able to carry a donkey foal to birth.
This is a 'world first' for an endangered donkey and is of huge interest to both captive breeding programs of equids (related to horses) in Zoo's and Reserves, as well as expanding the boundaries of possibilities for extra-specific (beyond species) embryo transfer for other animals (such as the Arabian Oryx being transferred into the African Oryx or the Black Rhinoceros into the much more common White Rhinoceros).

To achieve this amazing feat, veterinarians at the Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital had to collect a fertilized egg from the 'jenny' (female donkey). This was quite a task as the 'jack' (male donkey) had never bred before and his semen had to be collected in an artificial vagina. Next the jenny was artificially inseminated and finally an embryo flushed from her uterus 7 days after breeding. Once the egg was found a new home had to be found for it. A donkey would have been ideal but the larger sized donkeys were impossible to find. A larger mother was essential for the correct size of the foal at birth. In the end a horse was chosen and advice sort from Twink Allen in Newmarket (UK), who is the only person in the world to transfer donkey embryos into horses before.
After the embryo was transferred drugs were administered to help the mare think that the donkey inside of her was really a horse. This was necessary as horses (E Caballus) have a different number of chromosomes (32 pairs) compared to donkeys (E assinus-31 pairs).
The gestation of a mare is around 340 days and that of a donkey is around 380 days. The ET 'donkey in horse' pregnancy was carried 364 days. The baby donkey was born on Monday 14/1/02.

Both mother and baby (a young female) are doing well.

However.  We need a name for the baby.

Do you have an idea????

Follow this lead to the foal naming competition. There are more pictures there as well.

Would you like more information on the Poitou?