Gerenuk AI A Success!

After several years of monitoring and preparations, White Oak Conservation Center is excited to announce the world’s first gerenuk births through artificial insemination (AI). Recently, four gerenuk were born to 4 different mothers, all impregnated through AI.

The White Oak staff has been working for several years to achieve this significant success. The White Oak research team monitored the health of the animals, and worked with our animal care staff, to establish the appropriate plan.

AI efforts are being undertaken in many animal facilities around the world. AI is a viable option to help strengthen the population of wildlife in captive management, and is helpful when a species is difficult to breed.

In addition to strengthening the captive population numbers of endangered animals, AI can help to maintain the genetic diversity of captive populations. Over time, captive breeding programs result in the loss of the original traits of a species, as generations continue to be produced. This is called genetic drift. By using genetic material gathered from wild populations to impregnate captive populations, we can maintain as many of the traits of the represented species as possible.

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