Reproductive anatomy of three nulliparous female Asian elephants: The development of artificial breeding techniques

Detailed gross examinations of the reproductive tracts of three mature female nulliparous Asian elephants were conducted to develop artificial insemination (AI) techniques. Of primary concern was the determination of the length characteristics and the size and configuration of the foramina between segments of the tract. The elephants were 13, 28, and 40 years of age and had been maintained in captivity for most of their lives. One elephant died naturally and two were euthanized for health reasons. The reproductive tracts of two of the elephants were manually palpated in situ via the urogenital canal. A fibreoptoscope was used to visualize the internal structures of the terminal reproductive tract of one elephant and to deposit dye into the vagina. The reproductive organs were removed from the body cavity, dissected, measured, and photographed. The major anatomical obstacles to overcome for standard AI procedures (the passage of an AI pipette into the reproductive tract) were the length of the urogenital canal (85–97 cm), the constriction at the urogenital‐vaginal junction, and the tight cervix. The reproductive anatomy was compared to that of previous dissections reported in the literature.