The practical side of immunocontraception: zona proteins and wildlife

Received 31 December 2008; received in revised form 16 June 2009; accepted 16 June 2009. published online 12 October 2009.

Abstract

With shrinking habitat, the humane control of certain wildlife populations is relevant. The contraceptive vaccine based on native porcine zona pellucida (PZP) has been applied to various wildlife populations for 20 years. Prominent efforts include wild horses, urban deer, zoo animals and African elephants, among others. This approach has been successful in managing entire populations and to date, no significant debilitating short- or long-term health effects have been documented.

Keywords: Immunocontraception, Population control, Wildlife, Porcine zona pellucida

a The Science and Conservation Center, ZooMontana, Billings, MT 59106, USA

b The Humane Society of the United States, Gaithersburg, MD, USA

c San Diego Wild Animal Park, Escondido, CA, USA

d Milwaukee County Zoo, Milwaukee, WI, USA

Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 406 652 9718; fax: +1 406 652 9733.

PII: S0165-0378(09)00439-2

doi:10.1016/j.jri.2009.06.257

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